State Environmental Scorecard Released
Groups Rank Legislators for votes on Coal Ash, Solar, Greenspace and More
Atlanta, GA—Environment Georgia and Georgia Conservation Voters have joined forces to score every Georgia legislator for their votes on environmental legislation during the 2017-2018 legislative session. The release of the “Georgia Environmental Scorecard” comes as Georgians prepare to head to the polls for a May 22nd primary and Nov. 6th general election.
“This scorecard is about evaluating the most important action our legislators take: voting,” explained Georgia Conservation Voters Executive Director Colleen Kiernan “We looked at the most representative environmental votes that will impact Georgians’s health and pocket books.”
The scorecard covers thirteen bills or resolutions during the 2017-18 session including SB 355 which dealt with the Plant Vogtle financing fee Georgians currently pay monthly, SB 191 which dealt with petroleum pipelines and limited the use of eminent domain and several bills that stymied or will help promote the expansion of transit in Georgia.
Legislators from both parties scored 100 percent leading Environment Georgia’s Executive Director to comment “In Georgia environmental issues can offer some rare instances of bipartisanship—this scorecard shows that there are champions on both sides of the aisle.”
Legislators who scored a 100 percent include: Representatives Debra Bazemore, Debbie Buckner, David Dreyer, Bubber Epps, Gloria Frazier, Pat Gardner, Gerald Greene, Scott Holcomb, Dominic LaRiccia, Dewey McClain, Mary Margaret Oliver, Trey Rhodes, Dexter Sharper, Pam Stephenson and Senators Tonya Anderson, Donzella James Harold Jones, Nan Orrock, Elena Parent, and Michael Rhett.
The groups also included a number of ‘Honorable Mentions’ for legislators that went above and beyond often on legislation that did not ultimately pass the legislature or even make it out of committee.
The full scorecard can be accessed on Environment Georgia’s website or Georgia Conservation Voters www.gaconservationvoters.org/s
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Environment Georgia works statewide to protect Georgia’s air, water and greenspaces.www.EnvironmentGeorgia.org
Georgia Conservation Voters works to protect Georgia’s natural landscapes by changing its political landscape. www.gaconservationvoters.org
