A look at those who represent our Organize to be Heard winners.
Youth from seven states will fly into Washington this week, ready to make their voices heard on clean energy and climate change. They are the winners of the Organize to be Heard challenge, having already made attempts to push Congressional action to earn the trip.
Ten colleges are represented. Using the location of the schools, here is a look at where these youth activists’ members stand according to the LCV Scorecard released today.
Florida
Senator Bill Nelson
The University of Central Florida is represented by Suzanne Kosmos (D), who received a 100% score from LCV. Florida actually had three Senators during the session, as Mel Martinez (R) (0%) retired last summer. Bill Nelson (D) also received 100%, while Martinez’s appointed replacement, George LeMieux was just 17%.
LeMieux missed many of the votes, but did cast a vote against the creation of a climate change center at the CIA. This comes despite the many overtures by the military to fight climate change.
The University South Florida obviously shares the same Senators, but is represented in Tampa by Kathy Castor (D), a recipient of a 100% score from LCV. Castor actually upped her score from a 91% in 2008.
California
One of the world’s most progressive in clean energy, California has been working for years to cut its energy costs, transition to clean energy and help its residents do the same. Led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D), Chairwoman of the Senator Environment and Public Works committee, the state has a strong voice in Washington as well.
Boxer received a 100% score for the first time in her career, after co-sponsoring the Kerry-Boxer “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,” and passing it out her committee in November, despite opposition from Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe.
California’s second Senator, Dianne Feinstein, also received 100% with the same voting record as Boxer.
In Davis, Calif., the University of California, Davis is represented by Mike Thompson, another 100% performer.
Santa Monica College is represented by one of the leaders of the movement, Rep. Henry Waxman (D), author of the American Clean Energy and Security Act that because the first piece of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation to ever pass a chamber of Congress. His 100% score is well deserved.
Indiana
In Bloomington, Ind., Indiana University is represented by Baron Hill (D), who voted for ACES and received an 86% score.
The two senators are polar opposite, starting with the 82% percent of Evan Bayh (D), but balanced by the 18% of Richard Lugar (R), who received the second-lowest score of his career after voting to increase offshore drilling and against the climate center at the CIA.
Michigan
Rep. John Dingell
In the rivalry between state schools, Michigan State took down its larger foe, Michigan, as far as success in the challenge, but the Maize and Blue, led by Rep. John Dingell (D) had better environmental representation in Congress, according the scorecard.
Dingell stayed in a familiar range, scoring a 93%, after voting for the environment on ever piece of legislation except the one where he cast no vote, for clean water funding.
He is joined by two Senators with perfect scores, Carl Levin (D) and Debbie Stabenow (D).
Montana
A state with huge clean energy possibilities, as well as a large dirty coal industry, Montana has two pro-environment Senators who both received perfect scores in Max Baucus (D) and John Tester (D).
Baucus has seen his score steadily climb over recent sessions, hitting 100% for the first time in his career in 2009.
However, the University of Montana, in Missoula, has a representative on the other side of the spectrum, Denny Rehberg (R), who scored just 7%. One could call it an improvement, considering it isn’t the 0% he has received multiple times. The five-term Congressman voted for the environment just once in the session.
North Dakota
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (headed by Sec. Steven Chu), North Dakota has some of the highest wind energy potential in the U.S.
Congressional representation, both in the Senate and House, has been good on the environment, to this point.
Senator Byron Dorgan (D), who will retire at the end of his current term, led the way with a 100% score – a career first. Fellow Democratic Senator Kent Conrad also hit a career high at 82%. Some of these Senate scores should of course be taken with a grain of salt, knowing that the chamber has stalled comprehensive legislation since the June House vote on ACES. Both Senators have been the target of ads imploring them to reject Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s “Dirty Air Act.”
Representative Earl Pomeroy (D) scored a 71%, but that will most certainly drop for 2010, after he introduced a House version of the Dirty Air Act.
Oregon
Senator Jeff Merkley
One of the western states where clean energy is becoming second nature, Oregon has not only become a champion (here is a ton of info on what the state is doing), but has seen voters elect representatives who believe in it as well.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D), elected in 2008, is a member of the EPW committee and voted to move the Kerry-Boxer bill to the floor. His 100% score reflects his perfect voting record in environmental issues in 2009.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D), a member of the Energy and Natural Resources committee, which voted legislation out back in June, also received a perfect score from LCV. Wyden has never scored below 80% and has been at 92% or above in five of the last six Congress’s.
The weak link for the University of Oregon (in Eugene), isn’t really that weak. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D) received a score a 79%, but it was the lowest he has received this decade. The cause was a ‘no’ vote on ACES, making much of his other votes somewhat moot.
As the the winners of the Organize to Be Heard challenge come to Washington from around the country, they do so with clear work still to be done in convincing elected officials of how important comprehensive legislation is right now.
They represent a wide range of districts, from big city Tampa to college town Missoula, but all with the same goal in mind: a transformation to clean energy and a cut of carbon pollution. This is what they are up against and who agrees with them in their respective states.
Now it’s time to change a few more minds.
