FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2023
Contact: Abraham Park, Georgia Conservation Voters, abraham@gcvoters.org, 843-230-1491
Georgia Conservation Voters Announces Delegation Scores from LCV’s 2022 National Environmental Scorecard
Atlanta, Georgia — Georgia Conservation Voters released the Georgia delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ 2022 National Environmental Scorecard today. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress, and is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at https://www.gcvoters.org/federal/.
Like 2021, 2022 was another exceptionally productive year for Congress. With the pro-environment-led House and Senate, Congress showed up and seized the opportunity to pass historic climate and clean energy policy. Yet some in Georgia’s delegation ignored their own constituents, voting against clean energy jobs, coastal resiliency and voting rights for Georgians.
“In 2021, we saw a Congress and President that took strong, necessary action to fight climate change in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Georgia Conservation Voters’s Executive Director Brionté McCorkle. “In 2022, Congress and the President once again took firm action to combat climate change and environmental injustices, pushing forward the most impactful climate action bill in history in the Inflation Reduction Act. We’re proud of Georgia’s Senators and Democratic legislators who have again shown that they are climate champions and will protect our state and families.”
The 2022 Scorecard measures votes cast during the second session of the 117th Congress. In Georgia, six House members earned a score of 90 percent or greater, while all but one of the eight Republican House members earned a score of 0 percent. The average House score for Georgia was 41 percent and the average Senate score was 96 percent. The full delegation’s scores for 2022 are:
Senator Warnock – 96 percent
Senator Ossoff – 96 percent
Representative Buddy Carter, District 1 – 5 percent
Representative Sanford Bishop, District 2 – 95 percent
Representative Drew Ferguson, District 3 – 0 percent
Representative Hank Johnson, District 4 – 95 percent
Representative Nikema Williams, District 5 – 100 percent
Representative Lucy McBath, District 6 – 95 percent
Representative Carolyn Bordeaux, District 7 – 95 percent
Representative Austin Scott, District 8 – 0 percent
Representative Andrew Clyde, District 9 – 0 percent
Representative Jody Hice, District 10 – 0 percent
Representative Barry Loudermilk, District 11 – 0 percent
Representative Rick Allen, District 12 – 0 percent
Representative David Scott, District 13 – 95 percent
Representative Majorie Taylor Greene, District 14 – 0 percent
“What a year of historic progress! In 2022, pro-environment majorities in the House and Senate showed the world what’s possible when leaders are committed to delivering the action on climate, clean energy, jobs and justice voters demand,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “In a year that saw more suffering from the climate crisis and more pain at the pump as oil and gas companies raised energy costs, environmental champions in Congress took transformative climate action to begin to insulate the U.S. from volatile fossil fuel prices and build an affordable clean energy future. This year, we are all in to support the swift, effective, and equitable implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, work with Georgia champions in Congress to continue to fight for popular action on climate and environmental justice and block attempts to roll back environmental safeguards, and support the Biden-Harris administration’s finalization of critical health and climate protections across the agencies.”
The 2022 Scorecard includes dozens of votes on other impactful climate and environmental bills, as well as a number of votes in both chambers on legislation that would strengthen democracy including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the DISCLOSE Act. To safeguard equity, LCV’s 2022 Scorecard included votes in both chambers to protect same-sex and interracial marriages as well as reproductive rights.
For the first time this year, the Scorecard includes a new section highlighting the high-scoring leadership of the Tri-Caucus. Leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) scored an average 98% on the 2022 Scorecard and were instrumental to passing bold, pro-environment legislation, championed strong pro-democracy policies, and worked to address environmental injustice.
LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from about 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, and spending for environmental programs. The votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice and help distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.
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About Georgia Conservation Voters
Georgia Conservation Voters’ mission is to advocate for public policies that advance a more just and sustainable future, campaign for candidates who will make climate and environmental justice a priority, and hold elected officials accountable for their actions and votes. For more information, visit www.gcvoters.org
About League of Conservation Voters
LCV believes our Earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and lands, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections. For more information, visit www.lcv.org