Columbus, OH – Today, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund released the Ohio delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters’ 2021 National Environmental Scorecard highlighting how some members chose to champion the environment and protect our democracy, while others failed to do so. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress since 1970 and is available for download here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org.
The 2021 National Environmental Scorecard had a historically high percentage of votes related to justice and democracy in both chambers, reflecting these intersecting challenges. Those critical democracy-related votes combined with the record number of diverse Biden nominees resulted in a record number of scored votes in the Senate.
“We are proud to have lawmakers that will fight for our future alongside the Biden administration. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13), as well as former Rep. Marcia Fudge and current Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11) have stood up for Ohio’s health and our environment,” said OEC Action Fund Director Trish Demeter. “But lawmakers like Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-5), Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-6), Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-7), and Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-8) continue to side with corporate polluters over Ohio’s health and environment, and have refused to protect our right to vote at a critical moment for the country."
"The future of our planet and our democracy are at stake. Ohio needs our delegation to work with the White House and their colleagues in Congress to pass the Build Back Better Agenda and vital voting rights protections, now,” Demeter said.
Pro-environment and pro-democracy leaders across both chambers and the White House undid much of the damage from the Trump administration and made progress in key areas. While the Build Back Better Act and vital democracy reforms passed the House, they remain stalled in the Senate by unanimous Republican opposition.
In the past 50 years, LCV has never felt it necessary to score the basic votes that uphold our country’s peaceful transfer of power and electoral outcomes. This year was different. With the unprecedented January 6th insurrection and so many attacks by Republican members of Congress on the fundamental tenets of our country’s governance, LCV scored these votes, in both chambers.
“While 2021 was an incredibly difficult year for our democracy and our climate, it was a sea change from the Trump presidency,” said LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis. “Our pro-environment, pro-democracy trifecta made strides toward an equitable clean energy future in 2021. We see the last year as the foundation for accomplishing the transformational change we need in 2022. The Biden-Harris administration took bold steps towards tackling the interwoven climate and racial justice crises, the House passed the Build Back Better Act and democracy reforms, and now it’s up to the Senate to pass the transformational investments needed to combat the climate crisis and protect our democracy.”
The 2021 Scorecard includes 22 House votes, half of which were justice and democracy-related votes such as the vitally important voting rights bills. The 34 Senate votes include six justice and democracy votes. This reflects the need to safeguard the fundamentals of our governance from numerous federal judiciary and state and local policy attacks on our democracy and voting rights which primarily target people of color.
The full delegation’s scores for 2021 are:
Sen. Brown (D): 100 percent
Sen. Portman (R): 35 percent
Rep. Chabot (R, OH-1): 17 percent
Rep. Wenstrup (R, OH-2): 22 percent
Rep. Beatty (D, OH-3): 100 percent
Rep. Jordan (R, OH-4): 0 percent
Rep. Latta (R, OH-5): 22 percent
Rep. B. Johnson (R, OH-6): 13 percent
Rep. Gibbs (R, OH-7): 13 percent
Rep. Davidson (R, OH-8): 4 percent
Rep. Kaptur (D, OH-9): 100 percent
Rep. Turner (R, OH-10): 22 percent
Rep. Fudge (D, OH-11, resigned on March 10, 2021 upon confirmation as secretary of housing and urban development): 100 percent
Rep. Shontel Brown (D, OH-11, sworn in Nov. 4, 2021): 100 percent
Rep. Balderson (R, OH-12): 22 percent
Rep. Ryan (D, OH-13): 100 percent
Rep. D. Joyce (R, OH-14): 17 percent
Rep. Stivers (R, OH-15, resigned on May 16, 2021): 25 percent
Rep. Carey (R, OH-15, sworn in Nov. 4, 2021): 25 percent
Rep. A. Gonzalez (R, OH-16): 26 percent
LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from more than 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, environmental justice, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, democracy, 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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The OEC Action Fund, a 501c4 organization, seeks to protect and enhance the environment, economic viability, and health of all Ohio communities by expanding access to public lands, advancing critical environmental priorities, holding policy makers accountable, and electing environmental champions.
Media inquiries: ebacha<at>theoec.org