By Philip Newman
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) has been cited by an environmental activist organization with what the agency calls a 100 percent score for her congressional voting record in favor of preserving the environment.
The League of Conservation Voters praised Maloney in its just-released annual review, the National Environmental Scorecard.
Maloney has fought against what she considers anti-environmental policies advanced by the administration of President George Bush, especially an effort to weaken power plant pollution regulations.
She has also led at the federal level the fight against the attempted use of Sept. 11, 2001 Liberty Bonds to finance a power plant in western Queens. Liberty Bonds are intended to help revitalize Manhattan’s downtown after the attack on the World Trade Center, and Maloney said they were not meant to pay for power plant projects in other sections of New York City.
The congresswoman has voted against legislation that would make it easier to destroy forests as well as legislation that failed to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil imports. Maloney has also worked to provide funds for and protect lands in the Adirondack forests of New York state.
“Our health, our economy and our future depend on the quality of the environment,” Maloney said. “If we allow the environment to get worse, it will increase the rates of illness among entire populations and jeopardize our global ecosystem.
“What we need is strong leadership for the environment. We need creative, visionary thinking that can clean our air and water and spur the economy by advancing those goals through federal incentives and strong guidelines.”
The League of Conservation Voters represents more than 9 million members of environmental and conservation organizations. Since 1970, the group has published a National Environmental Scorecard to provide objective and factual information on the environmental voting records of members of Congress.
The Scorecard bases its grades on what the league sees as the most important environmental issues of the day, including environmental health and safety protections, resource conservation and spending for environmental programs.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 136.
