On video: Vermont Environmental Collaborative sets legislative agenda (March 9, 2011) VT Digger

Representatives from the state’s major environmental groups held a press conference on Tuesday to lay out their agenda for the rest of the legislative session.

Andrea Stander, the new executive director of the Vermont League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, announced the list of priorities and goals for the coalition of environmental organizations, including VPIRG, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Conservation Law Foundation and SmartGrowth Vermont. Read more here.

Environmental Coalition Presents Shared Priorities to Legislature (March 9, 2011) WAMC

MONTPELIER, VT (WAMC) - A coalition of Vermont environmental groups has issued their priority agenda items that they want state leaders to address before the end of the Legislative session. WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more...

Press Release (Feb 17,2011): Vermont League of Conservation Voters Announces Vermont’s Congressional Delegation Scores the ONLY Perfect 100% on the National League of Conservation Voters’ 2010 National Environmental Scorecard 

***Full Scorecard available at   *** www.lcv.org/scorecard 

National LCV Contact: Kate Geller 202-454-4573  kate_geller@[remove this text]lcv.org

Vermont Contact: Andrea Stander, 802-224-9090 astander@[remove this text]vtlcv.org

Montpelier – Today the Vermont League of Conservation Voters (VT LCV) joined the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) in releasing the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Vermont delegation in the second session of the 111th Congress. The 2010 Scorecard was released amidst the greatest attack on the EPA's budget in 30 years and current assaults on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and wildlife protections in Congress.

 “We applaud Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders and Representative Welch for their courageous and steadfast commitment in 2010 to protecting public health and the environment and reducing our nation’s dangerous dependence on oil,” said Andrea Stander, Executive Director of VT LCV. “The 2010 Scorecard clearly demonstrates that Vermont’s entire delegation is unique in the country in their strong and consistent commitment to putting the health and wellbeing of Vermonters and all Americans ahead of corporate polluters and other special interests who are actively seeking to dismantle our country’s strongest and most successful environmental protection laws.”

The 2010 Scorecard includes 6 Senate and 9 House votes on issues ranging from clean energy to public health protections to wildlife conservation. Given the disastrous impact of the resolution offered by Senator Murkowski (RAK), LCV double scored the vote on her bill, which would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward with commonsense steps to reduce dangerous carbon pollution. Additionally, LCV took the unusual step of scoring co-sponsorship of Dirty Air Act legislation in the House. These steps bring the Senate total to 7 and the House total to 10. In Vermont, the entire delegation earned a perfect 100 percent score in 2010 – the only delegation in the country to do so.

“Unfortunately, the most important votes of 2010 are the ones that didn’t happen: the Senate failed to even begin debate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill and also failed to respond to the greatest environmental disaster in our nation’s history — the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “The 2010 National Environmental Scorecard clearly illustrates that there is much work to be done, and LCV will be there at every step of the way in 2011 and beyond, working to protect the environment and public health while transitioning our nation to a clean energy economy. “Representative Welch voted for the CLEAR Act to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Senators Leahy and Sanders both voted against Senator Murkowski’s Dirty Air Act resolution.

For 40 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.

The full 2010 National Environmental Scorecard can be found at www.lcv.org/scorecard