What has Heath Shuler ever done for the environment?

Posted on by Rebecca Bowe

The League of Conservation Voters and Conservation Council of NC released a national environmental scorecard today for the first session of the 110th Congress.

Last year “marked a turning point for the environment, and proved that electing pro-environment candidates is a critical first step toward enacting sound environmental policies that will protect our planet and our future,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski, according to a press release.

“Seventy-one out of the 89 candidates LCV endorsed in 2006 (80 percent) won,” Karpinski said. “Elections have consequences, and LCV’s success in helping elect pro-environment candidates already has reaped environmental policy results. We are delighted that not only do the LCV-endorsed new members have an impressive average score of 87 percent, but many of them also championed key legislative priorities.”

Rep. Heath Shuler didn’t quite meet the 87 percent mark, but with a score of 75 percent, he might as well be Captain Planet compared with former Rep. Charles Taylor (“Chainsaw Charlie,” as WNC forest activists nicknamed him, had an average score of 5 percent). Similarly, Shuler’s score is much higher than that of either of the state’s two sentaors, Richard Burr or Elizabeth Dole, each of whom scored a mere 7 percent.

— Rebecca Bowe, contributing editor

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