It’s Official: OLCV’s latest Legislative Scorecard confirms 2007 Oregon Legislature greenest in 30 years

Immediate Release: 

September 12, 2007                                                                        

Contact: Tresa Horney, Communications Director

w: 503-224-4011 x205, c: 503-421-9710

It’s Official: OLCV’s latest Legislative Scorecard confirms 2007 Oregon Legislature greenest in 30 years

Legislators around the State score high marks

 Portland, OR:  The 2007 Oregon Legislature received its highest scores since 1977 for an outstanding environmental voting performance according to the 2007 Environmental Scorecard for the Oregon Legislature released by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) today.

“For the first time in more than a decade, Oregon’s Legislature carried out the public’s desire to protect the air, water and special places that make Oregon a great place to live and raise families.  The Legislature showed that with strong, responsible leadership, the state can take steps to promote a better environmental legacy for our kids,” said Jonathan Poisner, Executive Director of OLCV.

The 2007 Legislature and Governor enacted sweeping safeguards that will improve the lives of Oregon families for generations, reaching three major mile stones:

·                  More positive pro-environment bills became law in 2007 than in the period from 1991-2005 combined.

·                  The average scores in both the House and Senate climbed to heights not seen since 1977.  The average Senate score was 73% and the House was 69%. 

·                  The jump up in scores from 2005 to 2007 was the largest average increase from one session to the next since OLCV started keeping score in 1973.

The record number of environmental bills passed through the Legislature can be attributed to strong leadership fueled by the urgent need to take responsibility to combat global warming, promote energy independence, and a strong wish to protect our children from toxic pollution in our air and water.

“We are optimistic that the 2007 session marks the beginning of a new era of environmental responsibility; with legislators siding with voters over polluters and large corporations, keeping our air and water healthy and our special places safe,” said Sybil Ackerman, Legislative Affairs Director at OLCV.

In a collaborative effort, the environmental community focused on promoting its Legislative priorities through the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN), a consortium of almost 50 organizations.  The OCN developed and promoted a shared set of five “Priorities for a Healthy Oregon” before the Legislative Session began.  The Legislature made significant progress on all five Priorities.

Katy Daily, OLCV’s Political Director, said the scorecard ratings indicate that the Legislature is catching up to voters when it comes to environmental issues.  “For years, the public has had a much stronger desire for clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment than the Legislature – it’s nice to see the Legislature catch up.”

 Average scores in both the House and Senate were the highest they’ve been since 1977, with the average Senate score at 73% and the average House score at 69%.  This is way up from the 2005 session, which was 52% for the Senate and 44% for the House.  In 2003, both chambers averaged 39%.

Scores jumped up significantly across party lines.  “The Legislature’s new leadership demonstrated that, if they act responsibly and listen to all sides, they can craft solutions that get strong, bipartisan support,” said Daily.  “After the 2005 Legislature gridlocked on an Electronic Waste Recycling bill, the 2007 Legislature unanimously passed an even stronger e-waste bill,” Daily added.

Unfortunately, the Scorecard news wasn’t entirely positive.  Twenty House members and six Senators received scores below 50%.  “Too many of these legislators remain out of step with the public,” said Daily.  “Ten Senators and eighteen Representatives voted against Oregon’s strong, new renewable energy law, despite widespread public support, and the urgent need to deal with the climate crisis,” said Daily.

OLCV plans to continue working with legislators in preparation for the next session, even those who scored poorly.  “Sometimes all we need to do is ask our legislators to stop and think before they vote. Are they really doing what’s in the public’s best interest?” Ackerman said.

The 2007 Scorecard includes 20 House votes and 19 Senate votes, covering 22 bills.

OLCV encourages voters to find out who’s looking out for Oregon’s water, air, and land -- and who’s not at www.olcv.org/scorecard.

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OLCV is the political voice of Oregon environmental movement.  OLCV works to educate voters and hold elected officials accountable on the environment.  The Scorecard is designed to provide voters with information to separate true stewards of the Oregon’s environment fro