Top Environmental group gives Portland Democrats high marks

September 16, 2011

AUGUSTA - The non-partisan Maine Conservation Voters gave Portland-area representatives from the Maine House perfect scores for their votes to protect the environment and invest in clean energy this year.

In past years, MCV scorecards have been used to showcase votes that furthered protections for Maine’s environment, which is central to the state’s economic brand. This year, the scorecard primarily evaluated votes against an anti-environment agenda advanced by certain Republican lawmakers and Governor Paul LePage.

“I regularly defended clean air and clean water in our committee,” said Rep. Denise Harlow, D-Portland, who is in her first term in the state Legislature and serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “Our environment plays a vital role in our quality of life and economy, which is largely dependent upon tourism. We heard extensive testimony all year against the proposed extreme environmental rollbacks of our currently strong environmental laws.”

Legislators were graded on their votes regarding energy efficiency, clean water, children’s health, wildlife and the North Woods. The Maine Conservation Voters 2011 scorecard measured votes on some of the most significant environmental issues passed this year:

• Children’s Health: LD 412 voting to ban the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage containers, like baby bottles and sippy cups;
• Children’s Health: LD 228 voting against the repeal of Maine’s pesticide spraying notification law;
• Energy Efficiency: LD 1416 voting against weakening the statewide uniform building and energy efficiency code;
• North Woods: LD 1534 voting against establishing a biased study committee to eliminate the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC), the state agency charged with conserving Maine’s vast North Woods.

“For the first time in decades, we were fighting against bad environmental policy, instead of advancing laws to protect our natural resources,” said Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, who is serving his third term in the Maine Legislature. “Businesses come to Maine for our environment and to make a living off it. One business after another came to tell us how these extreme proposals would hurt job creation in our state.”

Top scores were awarded to Rep. Denise Harlow, D-Portland; Rep. Anne Haskell, D-Portland, Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland; Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, Rep.Peter Stuckey, D-Portland and Steve Lovejoy, D-Portland.

View the full scorecard on the web site for Maine Conservation Voters.

Contact:

Jodi Quintero - 287-1488, c. 841-6279