PennEnvironment Grades Politicians on Environmental Issues for 2009-2010 Legislative Session

State legislators from the region highlighted
 
[Philadelphia]—Only six state representatives from the Harrisburg/Lancaster/Reading/York area received an environmental score of 100% from the statewide environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment for the current legislative session, the group reported today. Sadly, not a single state senator in the eight-county region received a perfect score of 100% from the group. 
 
The annual scorecard was released today by PennEnvironment and included votes on major environmental legislation taken up by the state legislature in Harrisburg during the current 2009-2010 session, which is expected to wrap up in mid-October. PennEnvironment’s scorecard also included federal environmental bills voted on by Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.
 
PennEnvironment is distributing its environmental scorecard to more than 50,000 households in Pennsylvania as part of its door-to-door and internet campaign to convince state officials to renew Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener program, tackle Marcellus Shale pollution, and to implement green buildings legislation. The scorecard and full descriptions of the votes are found at http://www.pennenvironment.org/2009-leg-scorecard.
 
“In order to protect and preserve Pennsylvania’s environment, we need our elected officials voting for the strongest environmental protections possible,” said PennEnvironment Director David Masur.  “These scorecards offer a comprehensive view of the most important environmental votes that took place in the 2009-2010 legislative session, so that citizens of Pennsylvania can make informed decisions about their elected officials.”
 
PennEnvironment’s scorecard tracks environmental votes on issues including the funding of Pennsylvania’s conservation programs and state parks; promoting green building technology and wind energy in the Commonwealth; renewing Pennsylvania’s recycling programs; and protecting the state’s threatened open spaces.
 
Legislators in the Harrisburg/Lancaster/Reading/York who received a 100% score from PennEnvironment’s include:

Berks CountyRep. Thomas Caltagirone
Rep. David Kessler
Rep. Steve Samuelson
Rep. Dante Santoni
Rep. Tim Seip

Lancaster County

Rep. Mike Sturla
 
No legislators from Dauphin, Cumberland, Adams or York counties received a 100% score.
 
Statewide, 120 of the 203 members of the Pennsylvania state House scored 80% or above, with sixty-five members scoring a perfect 100%. Only nineteen of the fifty members of the Pennsylvania state Senate scored 80% or higher, with eight senators receiving a score of 100%.
 
“PennEnvironment is pleased with the bi-partisan effort to pass policies that protect our environment and public health,” Masur noted. “It shows that when the House leadership puts up critical environmental votes, there is broad support in nearly every case from Democrats and Republicans alike. Hopefully this will serve as a motivator for the House to be more pro-active in sending environmental policies to the state Senate in the future.”
 
The average score for the Pennsylvania state Senate was 67%. The average score for the Pennsylvania state House was 77%.
 
PennEnvironment also scored Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation and federal senators on environmental votes that took place in Congress. 

“We urge members of Pennsylvania’s congressional and state delegations to continue to work to promote a new energy future, protect our threatened open spaces and family farms, and to tackle the problem of global warming,” stated Masur.