Sierra Club Releases 2017-18 Legislative Scorecard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Thursday, August 17, 2016               

Contact:
Bill Davis, Chapter Director, (608) 256-0565
Dave Blouin, Political Chair (608) 220-4040

Sierra Club Releases 2017-18 Legislative Scorecard

Madison: The John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club today released its 2017-18 Scorecard of environmental votes taken by the Wisconsin Legislature. The Sierra Club also announced the list of 2018 Environmental Champions who voted 100% pro-environment in the latest legislative session.

“The Sierra Club is proud of the champions who consistently cast votes to protect Wisconsin’s environment, despite strong pressure in some cases to do otherwise," said Bill Davis, Chapter Director. "These legislators have shown clear commitments to maintaining clean air, clean water and the unique places that make Wisconsin special. We are confident that they will fight to protect Wisconsin’s environment, for our families and for our future.”

The 2017-18 Sierra Club Legislative Scorecard focuses on bills related to the John Muir Chapter’s priority issues of reducing climate change and protecting land and water resources in Wisconsin. The Sierra Club legislative scorecard is used along with other factors to make endorsement decisions for incumbent candidates.

“The scorecard shows that single-party control and the deep partisan divide in Wisconsin resulted in continued attacks on natural resources last session. The worst defeats included the repeal of Wisconsin’s landmark Prove It First law for metallic mining, loss of groundwater protections from high-capacity wells, attacks on wetlands protections, and increased reductions in local controls for our communities. On the bright side, grassroots activism was able to successfully fend off the expansion of the East-West I-94 megaproject and increased funding for local road and bridge repair and transit” said Davis.

"Influencing legislation is all about paying attention to the details," said Caryl Terrell, Legislative Committee Chair. "Good ideas can morph to bad bills with a brief amendment. Our members use our action alerts and this Scorecard to judge who really fought for the environment. Let your representative know if you're pleased or disappointed with their voting records. Then, don't forget to vote in the general election on November 6, 2018."

Forty-four state lawmakers scored a perfect 100% on the scorecard and have been named “2018 Environmental Champions” for their demonstrated commitment to preserving Wisconsin’s environment. The names of the Environmental Champions are listed in bold below. The scorecard also shows us which lawmakers consistently protect the interests of polluters, with many legislators scoring zero.

“Supporting strong environmental leaders who will work hard for Wisconsin’s environment is a priority for the Club. The 2018 Environmental Champions deserve recognition for their consistent votes that contribute to a cleaner environment and a healthier future for Wisconsin,” concluded Dave Blouin, Political Committee Chair.

The Sierra Club congratulates the 2018 Environmental Champions:

Senate:  Tim Carpenter, Jon Erpenbach, Dave Hansen, LaTonya Johnson, Chris Larson, Mark Miller, Janis Ringhand, Fred Risser, Patty Schachtner, Jennifer Shilling, Lena Taylor, and Kathleen Vinehout.

Assembly: Jimmy Anderson, Terese Berceau, Jill Billings, David Bowen, Jonathan Brostoff, Dave Considine, David Crowley, Steve Doyle , Eric Genrich, Evan Goyke, Gary Hebl, Dianne Hesselbein, Gordon Hintz, Fred Kessler, Deb Kolste, Beth Meyers, Nick Milroy, Greta Neubauer, Sondy Pope, Daniel Riemer, Melissa Sargent, Katrina Shankland, Christine Sinicki, Mark Spreitzer, Amanda Stuck, Lisa Subeck, Chris Taylor, Don Vruwink, Dana Wachs, Leon Young, JoCasta Zamarripa, and Josh Zepnick.