While congressional Democrats scored big while Republicans did poorly on a new environmental scorecard, the situation was reversed when it came to recent pro-business rankings.
The Conservation Voters of PA last week released the results of the League of Conservation Voters 2018 environmental scorecard and its executive director had flattering words for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, who scored 93 percent, and some harsh ones for U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh County, who was given a score of zero.
“As the Trump administration continued its assault on our most important environmental protections, Sen. Toomey refused to stand up for Pennsylvania’s air, water, land and wildlife,” said Josh McNeil, the executive director of the Conservation Voters of PA, in a statement.
“Instead of rubber stamping a polluter agenda, we need our representatives in Congress to fight for the health of our communities, the beauty of our state and the future of our economy, and thankfully we can count on Sen. Casey to push back,” McNeil said. “We’re more determined than ever before to hold members of Congress accountable for putting polluters ahead of our families.”
Toomey’s office declined to comment.
The LCV scorecard, which has been released annually since 1970, considers votes on environmental legislation, but also includes votes on judiciary and cabinet appointments. The full report is available at scorecard.lcv.org.
Casey and nine House members from the Keystone State scored an 80 percent or higher with the LCV. The average score of a House member from Pennsylvania was 44.8 percent.
The average score in the entire House was 45 percent, while in the Senate it was 51 percent.
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17, Mount Lebanon, who won a special election in March 2018 for the 18th Congressional District, scored an 81 percent, while former U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-12, Sewickley, who Lamb beat in the new 17th Congressional District, scored just 6 percent, the same as U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16, Butler.
On the Club for Growth congressional scorecard, though, Republicans fared much better, especially Toomey, who scored 100 percent for 2018 and, with a lifetime score of 93 percent, qualifies for the group’s Defender of Economic Freedom Award for 2018.
Casey, however, received just a 5 percent grade last year from the Club for Growth, who gave him a lifetime score of 6 percent. Lamb received a score of 32 percent, while Rothfus earned a 91 percent for 2018 and a 78 percent lifetime score for his three terms in Congress.
Kelly received a 48 percent for last year and has a lifetime score of 56 percent.
According to a description at clubforgrowth.org/scorecards/, the scorecard is based on how members vote on “economic policies that strengthen our nation’s economy and against legislation that would raise taxes, increase harmful regulations, and grow our already massive government.′
Club for Growth president David McIntosh insisted in a statement that Republicans did not do enough to control spending and pointed to that as a reason they lost the House in the November election.
“Instead of seizing on the opportunity to get our nation’s fiscal house in order, the Republican-led House brought big-spending bills to the floor time and time again,” McIntosh said.