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Conservation Report Card for the 115Th Congress

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Conservation Report Card for the 115Th Congress 2018 CONSERVATION REPORT CARD E VALUATING TH E 115TH C ONGR E SS efenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native Danimals and plants in their natural communities. Defenders’ approach to conservation is direct and straightforward: We protect and restore imperiled species throughout North America by transforming policies and institutions and promoting innovative solutions. Informed by scientific, legal and policy expertise, hands-on wildlife management experience and effective advocacy, we strive to make a lasting difference for wildlife and its habitat in these uniquely challenging times. Defenders engages in vigorous congressional advocacy efforts in support of our mission. We express our views on legislation affecting wildlife and public lands, work to achieve acceptable pro-wildlife and habitat outcomes, and grade lawmakers on their votes in our annual conservation report cards. For real-time news and information, follow Defenders’ government relations team on Twitter: @DefendersGovRel. © 2019 Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 www.defenders.org Cover photo: Monarch butterfly on milk thistle © Valerie Donohue Butterflies faced threats in the 115th Congress in the form of a House Farm Bill provision that would have placed butterflies and other pollinators at greater risk to pesticides and passage of funding for a section of border wall through the National Butterfly Center in Texas. © MARTIN FALBISONER/CC BY-SA 3.0 FALBISONER/CC BY-SA MARTIN © efenders of Wildlife’s 2018 Conservation Report Card measures the commitment of U.S. senators and representatives to wildlife andD habitat conservation during the 2017 and 2018 sessions of the 115th Congress. It tells you at a glance if your elected representatives are preserving America’s natural heritage for our children and grandchildren. This report card reviews 12 Senate votes and 20 House votes with serious implications for wildlife, habitat and the environment, including House legislation that would have turned the Farm Bill into an attack on wildlife and bedrock environmental protections, a bill that would have required funding for a damaging border wall to keep the government open, an amendment that would have blocked Endangered Species Act protections for hundreds of threatened and endangered species, and a tax bill that authorized drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Two bright spots in this Congress of setbacks were votes that defeated a Senate amendment that could have led to the removal of more than 1,000 protected species from the endangered species list and a House amendment that would have blocked endangered species protections for the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. For more detailed vote descriptions and electronic versions of this and previous report cards, visit www.defenders.org/conservation-report-card. SENATE KEY ISSUES & VOTES 1 Revoking the Stream Protection Rule The Senate passed a resolution to permanently revoke the stream protection rule put in place to protect the health and safety of people and the environment from the harmful effects of surface coal mining and toxic runoff in our waterways. (February 2, 2017, Roll Call No. 43) 2 Confirming Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator The Senate confirmed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate-change denier, as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (February 17, 2017, Roll Call No. 71) 3 Revoking an Important Land-use Planning Rule The Senate passed a resolution to permanently revoke the land-use planning rule for the Bureau of Land Management, which guides the use and conservation of millions of acres of federal public lands and the wildlife that depend on them. (March 7, 2017, Roll Call No. 82) 4 Revoking the Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule The Senate passed a resolution to permanently revoke the Alaska National Wildlife Refuges rule that was intended to help conserve native carnivores—including bears, wolves and their young—on millions of acres of national wildlife refuges in Alaska. (March 21, 2017, Roll Call No. 92) 2 Conservation Report Card 2018 5 Confirming David Bernhardt as Deputy Interior Secretary The Senate voted to confirm David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for extractive industries and developers, as deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior. (July 24, 2017, Roll Call No. 166) 6 Removing Federal Endangered Species Act Protections for More Than 1,000 Species The Senate rejected an amendment that would have removed or blocked federal Endangered Species Act protections for all intrastate species—plants and animals that exist solely within the borders of a single state—a category that includes more than 1,000 currently listed species. (October 19, 2017, Roll Call No. 242) 7 Sparing Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from Industrialization The Senate rejected an amendment that would have protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling. (October 19, 2017, Roll Call No. 243) NOTE: Legislators who served a full term received “Incomplete” scores if they missed more than 25 percent of the key votes. Legislators who served a partial term did not receive “Incomplete” scores unless they missed more than 25 percent of the key votes while they were in office. defenders.org/conservation-report-card 3 SENATE KEY ISSUES & VOTES 8 Advancing Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Passing an Anti-Environmental Budget The Senate passed a budget resolution that paves the way for oil and gas drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and proposes drastic cuts to discretionary spending totaling $800 billion, which could hurt environmental programs. (October 19, 2017, Roll Call No. 245) 9 Authorizing Oil and Gas Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Senate voted to pass the tax bill, which authorizes an oil and gas drilling program in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after more than three decades of fighting to protect this wildlife haven from Big Oil’s advances. (December 20, 2017, Roll Call Vote No. 323) 10 Funding a Damaging Border Wall The Senate rejected a motion to limit debate on an amendment that would provide $25 billion for border security including a damaging wall that would irreversibly harm sensitive lands and imperiled wildlife along hundreds of miles of the southwest border and address various immigration issues. (February 15, 2018, Roll Call No. 35) 4 Conservation Report Card 2018 11 Funding a Damaging Border Wall and Waiving Rule of Law The Senate rejected a motion to limit debate on an amendment that would provide $25 billion for border security including a damaging wall that would irreversibly harm sensitive lands and imperiled wildlife along the southwest border, waive 36 environmental and cultural laws for construction of the wall and other border enforcement activities on federal lands within 100 miles of both the northern and southern borders, and address various immigration issues. (February 15, 2018, Roll Call No. 36) 12 Cancelling Funding for Crucial Conservation Programs The Senate rejected a motion to advance a bill rescinding funding for several important programs, including ones that support sustainable use of agricultural lands and protection of national forest lands. (June 20, 2018, Roll Call No. 134) defenders.org/conservation-report-card 5 + VOTED WITH US - VOTED AGAINST US P VOTED PRESENT NV DID NOT VOTE NA NOT IN OFFICE 100% ALWAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION 1 Revoking the Stream Protection Rule 7 Sparing Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from Industrialization 2 Confirming Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator 8 Advancing Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Passing 3 Revoking an Important Land-use Planning Rule an Anti-Environment Budget VOTES 4 Revoking the Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule 9 Authorizing Oil and Gas Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 5 Confirming David Bernhardt as Deputy Interior Secretary 10 Funding a Damaging Border Wall 6 Removing Federal Endangered Species Act Protections 11 Funding a Damaging Border Wall and Waiving Rule of Law for More Than 1,000 Species 12 Cancelling Funding for Crucial Conservation Programs KEY SENATE KEY VOTE: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 SCORE ALABAMA Jeff Sessions R NV NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Incomplete* Luther Strange R NA - - - - - - - - NA NA NA 0% Doug Jones D NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA - + + 67% Richard C. Shelby R - - - - - - - - - + - - 8% ALASKA Lisa A. Murkowski R - - - - - - - - - - + - 8% Daniel Sullivan R - - - - - - - - - + - - 8% ARIZONA John McCain R - NV - - NV - - - NV NV NV NV Incomplete* Jon Kyl R NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Incomplete* Jeff Flake R - - - - - - - - - - + - 8% ARKANSAS John N. Boozman R - - - - - - - - - + - - 8% Tom Cotton R - - - - - - - - - + - - 8% CALIFORNIA Dianne Feinstein D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% Kamala D. Harris D + + + + + + + + + + + + 100% COLORADO Michael Bennet D + + + + - + + + + - + + 83% Cory Gardner R - - - - - - - - - - - - 0% CONNECTICUT Richard Blumenthal D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% Christopher S. Murphy D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% DELAWARE Thomas R. Carper D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% Christopher Coons D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% FLORIDA Marco Rubio R - - - - - - - - - + - - 8% Bill Nelson D + + + + + + + + + - + + 92% 6 Conservation Report Card 2018 P VOTED PRESENT NV DID NOT VOTE NA NOT IN OFFICE 100% ALWAYS VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION 0% NEVER VOTED PRO-CONSERVATION 1 Revoking the Stream Protection Rule 7 Sparing
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