The League of Conservation Voters has issued its Congressional scorecard for 2009. In addition to the House vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the 2009 Scorecard covers other key issues, such as public lands, water quantity and quality, forest management, offshore drilling, wildlife conservation at home and abroad, chemical security and population. The scores were based on 11 votes in the Senate and 14 votes in the House. An account of how local representatives scored is given below.

Sen. Bob Casey was among the fifty Senators who scored 100 pct, and he deserves our thanks. Sen. Arlen Specter scored 64 pct, with unfavorable votes on the Budget and Polar Bear Protection.

Among the Pennsylvania delegation in the House, Reps. Brady, Fattah, Kanjorski, and Schwartz all scored 100 pct. Because they were each absent for one of the 14 House votes local Representatives Rep. Mike Doyle and the late John Murtha were credited with a score of 93 pct., as was Senate candidate Rep. Joe Sestak.

As a result of her vote against the climate change bill, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper scored 86 pct. Rep. Jason Altmire scored a disappointing 79 pct with his NO votes on the climate change bill and his support of an amendment which would have prohibited funding of a biological opinion, or court-mandated protections, for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. Constituents may ask Mr. Altmire why chose to support this anti-environment amendment.

Among the remaining local Congressmen, Rep. Tim Murphy scored 36 pct along with three other Pennsylvanian colleagues. He could have done worse, like Rep. Glenn Thompson with 0 pct and Bill Shuster with 7 pct.

NOTE. On fifteen key votes held by the Energy and Commerce Committee during markup of the American Clean Energy and Security Actl (HR 2454), Rep. Mike Doyle voted for the environment 100 pct of the time. Rep. Tim Murphy also serves on this committee, and he scored zero percent on the same fifteen votes.