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September 25, 2009
BOWDOINHAM - State Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, earned special recognition recently from the Maine League of Conservation Voters for his work to improve conservation and environmental protection laws during the 2009 legislative session.
The League, which rates all 181 state House and Senate lawmakers on their voting record for conservation issues, issues an annual legislative scorecard based on votes taken on specific and critical bills that have an impact on the state’s natural resources. Berry scored a perfect 7-for 7 on the scorecard, and the League also chose to highlight Berry specifically in this year’s legislative roundup for his sponsorship of bills to establish an aerial pesticide notification registry and a recycling program for compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Both bills represent first-in-the-nation legislation. Since passing the bills, Berry has received calls from USA Today and other national newspapers, and has given talks on his legislation to leaders from many other states as well as Canadian provinces.
"I'm proud of this honor,” said Berry, “but far prouder that the accomplishments belong to our entire legislative leadership team and many rank and file members as well.” As evidence, Berry noted the perfect scores of all his Democratic leadership colleagues in the House and Senate, and said many rank-and-file legislators had been instrumental in guiding the groundbreaking legislation as well. “It would take all day to list the leaders who helped in these efforts,” said Berry.
The League notes on their website, “the perfect combined 7/7 score of Representatives Hannah Pingree, John Piotti and Berry demonstrates the priority they place as a leadership team on policies to protect Maine’s air, land and water, to reduce our exposure to dangerous chemicals and to build a clean energy future. Pingree and Berry each sponsored significant legislation to protect human health, promote energy efficiency and advance clean energy jobs.”
This year’s scorecard included positive votes on bills to increase clean water protections for a number of waterways in Maine; provide for safe collection of mercury-containing light bulbs; ensure that replacement culverts permit fish passage; and establish an Efficiency Trust to increase household and business weatherization, with a goal of weatherizing every home and business in the state by 2030.
Legislators also earned positive scores for voting against a bill that would have given power to a small group of private business to overhaul the state’s regulatory system, and a bill that would have eliminated LURC in favor of county management of Maine’s unorganized territories.
The Maine League of Conservation Voters has tracked and reported legislators’ voting records on key environmental issues since 1986. To view the entire scorecard, with bill summaries and a full list of honor roll and dishonor roll members for 2009, visit Maine League of Conservation Voters and click on “2009 Maine House and Senate Scorecards” on the right-side column.
Contact:
Rep. Seth Berry, 522-1609
Amy Saxton, Legislative Aide, 287-1430
Jodi Quintero, Communications Director, 287-1433