HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) has scored a 100 on the 2019 Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) annual Environmental Scorecard, reflecting the senator’s effectiveness in leading passage of, and voting for, pro-environment legislation affecting Connecticut and its 3.5 million citizens.
“Our very best days in Hartford are the ones we spend protecting the environment and fighting climate change. Though I’m proud of my efforts to ensure the next generation will have an opportunity to enjoy open space, the Long Island Sound, and clean air, I know there’s much more work that lies ahead. This score from the CTLCV reminds us that our constituents are watching how we vote and what we’re doing to preserve Connecticut’s natural resources,” said Sen. Haskell.
The CTLCV notes in the introduction to its report that democratic majorities in the House and Senate had a major impact on passing pro-environment legislation and on killing anti-environmental bills.
“The 2019 Legislative Session delivered many wins for the environment, including significant investment in offshore wind, the electrification of the state fleet, the passage of the State Water Plan, and much more,” the report says. “Because of our work during the last elections, we broke the split in the State Senate and sent a new pro-environment majority into Hartford. These new and returning champions were largely able to kill bad environmental bills like rollbacks to the Environmental Protection Act, automatic permits from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) after 90 days, and the revocation of DEEP’s enforcement tools. Many of these anti-environment proposals never even saw a vote. As a result, the vast majority of bills we scored were pro-environment proposals. This led to higher scores overall, evidence for the strong support for the environment within our legislature.”
The CTLCV grading scale ranges from 0-to-100 percent, and is based on how legislators vote on key environmental bills during the committee period of session and on the House and Senate floor.
The final score is an average of their votes on specific pro-environment bills the CTLCV has picked. Absences and abstentions are not factored into the CTLCV’s grading system.
The average Senate Democrat score this year was 97.5; the average Senate Republican score was 78.4. In the House, 40 percent of House Republican members scored a 50 or below.
The legislative priorities included in CTLCV’s scorecard covers a wide, diverse range of environmental concerns. The CTLCV seeks the counsel of other environmental groups, advocates and stakeholders to determine their priorities. CTLCV’s legislative victories this session includes: