Scorecard: NC Lawmakers Get Worst Conservation Grades...Ever

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina lawmakers get a failing grade for their lack of effort to protect the environment in 2011. On a scorecard just released by the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV), the average pro-conservation score in the House was 43 percent, down from 67 percent last year. The Senate's average score was 27, down from 69 last year. They are the lowest scores since the group's first scorecard in 1999.

Dan Crawford, the League's director of governmental relations, attributes the lower scores to the legislative leadership changes at the beginning of the last session, and says it's bad for North Carolina business.

"One of the things that brings business to North Carolina is this great quality of life that we have here. People want to bring businesses to states that have a good environment."

He says among the contributors to the failing grades is a proposal to do away with regulations on drilling for oil or natural gas along the coast. That bill was vetoed by the governor, but supporters say they are one vote away from overriding the veto.

The scores were based on each lawmaker's voting record in 2011 on environmental issues. They were given 100 points for voting in favor of conservation-minded policies, and zeroes for voting against them. Now that it's an election year, Crawford hopes people will pay special attention to those votes.

"Voters need to take a look at their members. They need to see how their members voted on environmental issues, and if they don't like what they see, they need to be prepared to work for change in 2012."

He says another law for which the State Assembly got a failing grade is one that expands the "cut zones" around billboards, eliminating more trees to increase the visibility of the advertising.

Scorecards for this year (and past years) are online at nclcv.org.

Stephanie Carroll Carson, Public News Service - NC

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