Conservation Report Card
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2 012 CONSERVATION REPORT CARD EVALUATING THE 112TH CONGRESS efenders of Wildlife Action Fund educates the public about conservation issues and generates grassroots efforts Dto ensure that members of Congress and the president hear from constituents on pending legislation and regulations. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund advocates in Washington, D.C., for legislation to safeguard wildlife and habitat and fights efforts to under- mine conservation laws, such as the landmark Endangered Species Act. The Action Fund also publishes the Conservation Report Card to help citizens hold their legislators accountable by providing information on how lawmakers voted on important conservation issues. An online version of the Conservation Report Card, which contains detailed and updated information about key votes, is available on the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund website: www.defendersactionfund.org Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization with a segregated Section 527 account. © 2013 Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 1130 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Cover Photo: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge courtesy of Meg Van Ness/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service © JAMES DAWSON © efenders of Wildlife Action Fund’s 2012 Conservation Report DCard measures the commitment of U.S. senators and representatives to wildlife and habitat conservation during the 112th Congress. It tells you at a glance how well your elected representatives are safeguarding our natural heritage for our children and grandchildren. The report card reviews three 2012 Senate votes, two that blocked attempts to open sensitive areas important to wildlife to oil and gas development and one that approved an amendment to restore conservation compliance to the farm bill programs that help protect wildlife habitat on private lands. It also summarizes the dozen votes by the House of Representatives that clinched its reputation as the most anti-environmental House in the history of Congress with a 2012 legislative agenda that continued to pander to special interests at the expense of America’s wildlife and wild lands. To provide an overview of both sessions of the 112th Congress, each legislator’s score for 2011 is included along with how they voted on each issue in 2012, their score for 2012 and their overall average based on 2011 and 2012. For 2011 vote descriptions and individual voting records and a more detailed summary of the 2011-2012 votes, visit www.defendersactionfund.org. 1 Giving Away America’s Coastlines to Big Oil 2 Allowing Drilling in the Arctic Refuge and Elsewhere SENATE 3 Restoring Critical Farm Conservation Measures TH KEY ISSUES VOTES ND ST 112 & 1 2 3 2 SessION 1 SessION Congress Average Average SCORE* ALABAMA 1 Giving Away America’s Coastlines to Big Oil RICHARD C. SHELBY R - - - 0% 25% 14% The Senate rejected an amendment that would have JEFF SESSIONS R - - - 0% 0% 0% sacrificed thousands of acres off our Pacific, Atlantic and ALASKA Arctic coastlines as well as protected areas of the Gulf of LISA A. MURKOWSKI R + - + 67% 0% 29% Mexico to oil development. It would also have allowed MARK BEGICH D + - - 33% 100% 71% developers to ignore the lessons learned from the Deepwater ARIZONA Horizon disaster in the Gulf and bypass important environmental reviews. (March 8, 2012, Roll Call No. 28) JOHN MCCAIN R - - - 0% 0% 0% JON L. KYL R - - + 33% 0% 14% 2 Allowing Drilling in the Arctic Refuge and Elsewhere ARKANSAS The Senate rejected an amendment that would have MARK L. PRYOR D + + + 100% 100% 100% required oil and gas leasing in the pristine Arctic JOHN N. BOOZMAN R - - + 33% 0% 14% National Wildlife Refuge and across the Atlantic and CALIFORNIA Pacific oceans. It would also have forced approval DIANNE FEINSTEIN D + + + 100% 100% 100% of the environmentally damaging Keystone XL BARBARA BOXER D + + + 100% 100% 100% (March 13, 2012, Roll Call No. 38) pipeline. COLORADO 3 Restoring Critical Farm Conservation Measures MARK UDALL D + + - 67% 100% 86% The Senate passed an amendment that would MICHAEL BENNET D + + + 100% 100% 100% restore conservation compliance to farm bill CONNECTICUT insurance subsidy programs, ensuring that vital JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN I + + + 100% 100% 100% environmental protections are maintained throughout the nation. (June 20, 2012, Roll Call No.155) RICHARD BLUMENTHAL D + + - 67% 100% 86% DELAWARE THOMAS R. CARPER D + + + 100% 100% 100% REPORT CARD LEGEND CHRISTOPHER COONS D + + + 100% 100% 100% Code Value + Voted For Conservation FLORIDA - Voted Against Conservation BILL NELSON D + + - 67% 100% 86% P Voted Present MARCO RUBIO R - + + 67% 0% 29% NV Did Not Vote NA Not In Office GEORGIA 100% Always Voted Pro-Conservation SAXBY CHAMBLISS R - - + 33% 0% 14% 0% Never Voted Pro-Conservation JOHNNY ISAKSON R - - + 33% 0% 14% NOTE: Legislators who served a full term received “Incomplete” scores if they missed more than 25% of the key votes. Legislators who served a partial term did not receive “Incomplete” scores unless they missed * A legislator’s score for the entire Congress is a two session weighted average based more than 25% of the key votes while they were in office. on their voting percentage and number of Report Card votes in each session. 2 Conservation Report Card 2012 defendersactionfund.org 3 VOTE GUIDE + VOTED With US - VOTED AGAINST US P VOTED PRESENt NV Did NOT VOTE NA NOT IN OfficE 1 Giving Away America’s Coastlines to Big Oil SENATE 2 Allowing Drilling in the Arctic Refuge and Elsewhere KEY VOTES 3 Restoring Critical Farm Conservation Measures TH TH ND ST 112 ND ST 112 1 2 3 2 SessION 1 SessION Congress 1 2 3 2 SessION 1 SessION Congress Average Average SCORE* Average Average SCORE* HAWAII MASSACHUSETTS DANIEL K. INOUYE D + + + 100% 100% 100% JOHN F. KERRY D + + + 100% 100% 100% DANIEL K. AKAKA D + + - 67% 100% 86% SCOTT P. BROWN R + + + 100% 25% 57% IDAHO MICHIGAN MICHAEL D. CRAPO R - - - 0% 0% 0% CARL LEVIN D + + + 100% 100% 100% JAMES E. RISCH R - - - 0% 0% 0% DEBBIE STABENOW D + + - 67% 100% 86% ILLINOIS MINNESOTA RICHARD J. DURBIN D + + + 100% 100% 100% AMY KLOBUCHAR D + + + 100% 100% 100% MARK STEVEN KIRK R NV NV NV Incomplete 25% Incomplete AL FRANKEN D + + + 100% 100% 100% INDIANA MISSISSIPPI RICHARD G. LUGAR R - - - 0% 0% 0% THAD COCHRAN R - - - 0% 25% 14% DAN COATS R - - - 0% 0% 0% ROGER F. WICKER R - - - 0% 0% 0% IOWA MISSOURI CHARLES E. GRASSLEY R - - - 0% 0% 0% CLAIRE MCCASKILL D + - - 33% 100% 71% TOM HARKIN D + + + 100% 100% 100% ROY BLUNT R - - - 0% 0% 0% KANSAS MONTANA PAT ROBERTS R - - - 0% 0% 0% MAX BAUCUS D + + - 67% 100% 86% JERRY MORAN R - - - 0% 0% 0% JON TESTER D + + + 100% 100% 100% KENTUCKY NEBRASKA MITCH MCCONNELL R - - - 0% 0% 0% E. BENJAMIN NELSON D + + - 67% 100% 86% RAND PAUL R - - - 0% 25% 14% MIKE JOHANNS R - - - 0% 0% 0% LOUISIANA NEVADA MARY L. LANDRIEU D - + + 67% 100% 86% HARRY REID D + + + 100% 100% 100% DAVID VITTER R - - - 0% 25% 14% DEAN HELLER R - - - 0% 0% 0% MAINE NEW HAMPSHIRE OLYMPIA J. SNOWE R + + + 100% 50% 71% JEANNE SHAHEEN D + + + 100% 100% 100% SUSAN M. COLLINS R + + + 100% 25% 57% KELLY AYOTTE R - - - 0% 0% 0% MARYLAND NEW JERSEY BARBARA A. MIKULSKI D + + + 100% 100% 100% FRANK LAUTENBERG D + + + 100% 100% 100% BENJAMIN L. CARDIN D + + + 100% 100% 100% ROBERT MENENDEZ D + + + 100% 100% 100% * A legislator’s score for the entire Congress is a two session weighted average based on their voting percentage and number of Report Card votes in each session. 4 Conservation Report Card 2012 defendersactionfund.org 5 VOTE GUIDE + VOTED With US - VOTED AGAINST US P VOTED PRESENt NV Did NOT VOTE NA NOT IN OfficE 1 Giving Away America’s Coastlines to Big Oil SENATE 2 Allowing Drilling in the Arctic Refuge and Elsewhere KEY VOTES 3 Restoring Critical Farm Conservation Measures TH TH ND ST 112 ND ST 112 1 2 3 2 SessION 1 SessION Congress 1 2 3 2 SessION 1 SessION Congress Average Average SCORE* Average Average SCORE* NEW MEXICO SOUTH DAKOTA JEFF BINGAMAN D + + + 100% 100% 100% TIM P. JOHNSON D + + + 100% 100% 100% TOM UDALL D + + + 100% 100% 100% JOHN THUNE R NV - - Incomplete 0% Incomplete NEW YORK TENNESSEE CHARLES E. SCHUMER D + + + 100% 100% 100% LAMAR ALEXANDER R - - - 0% 25% 14% KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND D + + - 67% 100% 86% BOB CORKER R - + - 33% 0% 14% NORTH CAROLINA TEXAS RICHARD BURR R - - + 33% 0% 14% KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON R - - - 0% 0% 0% KAY R. HAGAN D + + + 100% 100% 100% JOHN CORNYN R - - - 0% 0% 0% NORTH DAKOTA UTAH KENT CONRAD D + + - 67% 100% 86% ORRIN G. HATCH R - NV + Incomplete 0% Incomplete JOHN HOEVEN R - - - 0% 0% 0% MICHAEL LEE R - + - 33% 50% 43% OHIO VERMONT SHERROD BROWN D + + + 100% 100% 100% PATRICK J. LEAHY D + + + 100% 100% 100% ROB PORTMAN R - - - 0% 0% 0% BERNARD SANDERS I + + + 100% 100% 100% OKLAHOMA VIRGINIA JAMES M. INHOFE R - - - 0% 25% 14% JIM WEBB D - + + 67% 100% 86% THOMAS A. COBURN R - - - 0% 0% 0% MARK WARNER D + + + 100% 100% 100% OREGON WASHINGTON RON WYDEN D + + + 100% 100% 100% PATTY MURRAY D + + - 67% 100% 86% JEFFREY MERKLEY D + + + 100% 100% 100% MARIA CANTWELL D + + - 67% 100% 86% PENNSYLVANIA WEST VIRGINIA ROBERT P. CASEY D + + + 100% 100% 100% JOHN ROCKEFELLER D + + + 100% 100% 100% PAT TOOMEY R - - - 0% 0% 0% JOE MANCHIN D - - + 33% 100% 71% RHODE ISLAND WISCONSIN JACK REED D + + + 100% 100% 100% HERBERT H. KOHL D + + + 100% 100% 100% SHELDON WHITEHOUSE D + + + 100% 100% 100% RON JOHNSON R - - - 0% 0% 0% SOUTH CAROLINA WYOMING LINDSEY O. GRAHAM R - - + 33% 0% 14% MICHAEL B. ENZI R - - - 0% 0% 0% JIM DEMINT R - + - 33% 50% 43% JOHN A. BARRASSO R - - - 0% 0% 0% * A legislator’s score for the entire Congress is a two session weighted average based on their voting percentage and number of Report Card votes in each session.