Actions don’t match the words of Daines, Gianforte
It’s that time of year again, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) came out with their annual environmental scorecard, a scorecard based upon the environmental voting record of Congress
during the previous year. I’ve presented this data a few years back, highlighting how Montana’s delegation has viewed those concerns. This year is no different. Thanks to LCV for their effort in
providing public knowledge in how our congressional leaders regard our environment and our planet, a timely issue in light of the world’s pandemic crisis.
Senators were scored on 14 votes during the year, mostly confirming (or not) federal judiciary or executive branch nominees who held extreme anti-positions on the environment. In the House, LCV scored legislators differently. House members were scored based upon their voting record on “29 diverse environmental votes to hold the Trump administration accountable in its attempt to roll back environmental safeguards, to clean up toxic PFAS chemical contamination, and to protect our public lands.”
Sen. Tester’s 2019 score was 100%, with a lifetime score of 88%.
Sen. Daines’ 2019 score was 29%, with a lifetime score of 6%.
Rep. Gianforte’s 2019 score was 3%, with a lifetime score of 5%.
Could there be more of a difference? What’s going on here? Montanans say they care about their land, the wildlife, the beauty, their way of life, but the actions of some aren’t matching their words. Some say it’s because of the radical left; they don’t represent true Montanans. But that’s a cop-out. Sen. Tester
is not a member of the radical left, so what’s the others excuse? This screams out partisanship loud and clear.
It’s time for some self-reflection for Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte. Whether Gianforte wins the governorship or Daines in the Senate, we have a chance to change this paradigm in November.
Clint Nagel
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 3/21/20