ALBANY – The League of Conservation Voters Scorecard for 2012 shows Democratic members of the Congress scored consistently higher on environmental issues that their Republican counterparts.
Many Hudson Valley Democratic House members scored in the 90s while Republicans Christopher Gibson and Nan Hayworth, who scored the highest of any Republicans in the House, had scores of only in the 40s.
Hayworth, who lost to Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, last November, voted in favor of environmental issues 46 percent of the time last year while Gibson scored 40 percent, said New York League Senior Vice President Joshua Klainberg.
“What you will see with Hayworth and Gibson ranking so high actually it shows that there is a willingness for Northeast Republicans to buck that national leadership and to vote against them, and I think when you look at the votes, the mid-40s is not really a passing grade,” Klainberg said. Since Gibson was reelected, Klainberg said they try to work with him to take a more moderate position on environmental issues.
All Hudson Valley Democrats scored in the 90 percent range in 2012 – Eliot Engel scored a 91 percent, Nita Lowey scored 91 Percent, and the now-retired Maurice Hinchey scored 97 percent.
New York’s two senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, each scored 93 percent on the 2012 National Environmental Scorecard.
