Hoyer Receives High Marks from National Environmental Organization

WASHINGTON, DC - The League of Conservation Voters, a national bipartisan organization devoted to educating citizens about the environmental voting records of federally elected officials, this week released their annual Congressional Scorecard for the first session of the 108th Congress. The LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970, the year it was founded by leaders of the environmental movement following the first Earth Day. Congressman Hoyer received a score of 85%. The national average was 46 percent for members of the House of Representatives and 79 percent for House members from Maryland.

"The health of our environment is a direct result of our commitment to its protection and preservation," said Congressman Hoyer. "I am honored that the League of Conservation Voters, which represents the political voice for more than nine million members of environmental conservation organizations around the country, recognized my support for environmental issues in their annual scorecard."

"As a member of Congress, I have worked hard to secure federal funding to protect Maryland's natural and historical resources. I am proud to have helped secure funds to improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay by fighting for increased funding for Bay Small Watershed grants, oyster habitats and recovery, and minimizing the flow of nutrients into our waterways. We are making substantial progress towards improving our water quality and I am dedicated to continue working to preserve the heritage of Southern Maryland," added Hoyer.

"Congressman Hoyer's solid LCV score proves that he puts the interest of Maryland families in a clean and healthy environment over corporate interests," said Betsy Loyless, LCV Vice President for Policy. "Congressman Hoyer has a record of fighting for clean air, drinkable water and sound, long-term energy solutions that his constituents can be proud of."

"In my eight years as president of the League of Conservation Voters and throughout the league's 34-year history as a whole, our congressional scorecard has stood out as our signature document, the one all-encompassing source of information on the environmental voting records of individual representatives," Deb Callahan, President of LCV wrote in the report. "This year we at LCV believe the sheer weight and volume of anti-environmental measures coming out of Washington make this exhaustive examination more important than ever."

The 2003 National Environmental Scorecard rates members of the House on 19 floor votes pertaining to environmental health, resource conservation and spending on environmental programs. Votes include the Bush energy bill, drilling in ANWR, offshore oil drilling, protection of our national forests, anti-environmental riders, providing exemptions to the Clean Water Act, and ozone pollution. The 2003 National Environmental Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be graded.

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