midterm elections

Peter Dykstra: A League of their own

The League of Conservation Voters has managed to stay out of the mud for 52 years.

American environmental law came of age under the aegis of that unlikely ol’ treehugger, Richard Milhous Nixon.


The seminal laws on clean air, clean water, endangered species, and environmental impact statements were born. So were two vital environmental agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Commerce Department.

Nonprofits matched the frantic pace with the 1970 debut of Earth Day. When the venerable Sierra Club fired its cantankerous boss, David Brower created Friends of the Earth. Some hotshot Ivy League lawyers founded the Natural Resources Defense Council, in friendly competition with some other hotshot Ivies at the Environmental Defense Fund (b.1967).

Also in 1970, a well-connected aide to a Long Island Congressman, fortified with David Brower’s advice and encouragement, founded the League of Conservation Voters.

Marion Edey was taking names — and a nonpartisan clearinghouse for environmental politics was born.

Foremost among the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) products were its annual scorecard, which graded the voting performance of every member of Congress on key environmental legislation. And later, LCV’s Dirty Dozen, a scornful list of undeserving candidates for national office.

Political archaeology

For all its legitimate value as a political mainstay for environmentalists, LCV’s website offers geek-out opportunities for a half-century’s worth of American environmental history.

In the ancient 1971-72 edition of the LCV Scorecard, House and Senate members are graded on their votes on clean water, killing marine mammals, and regulating supersonic transport passenger aircraft. Two New York City Democrats drew perfect 100% scores from LCV: Future Mayor Ed Koch and Bella Abzug. The only Senator to score 100% was — surprise! — Earth Day co-founder Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisc.)

And a “zero” of note was the day’s conservative standard bearer, Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.).

In 1973, Congress pondered the Alaska pipeline and OPEC’s first oil embargo. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford rated 11% before resigning to replace Vice President Agnew, and then President Nixon.

In 1977-78, Congress considered several mine safety and nuke safety measures as well as major land conservation efforts in Alaska. There were few perfect scores or shutouts, but freshman Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) scored a 92%.

In the 1980 scorecard, a young Georgia Republican named Newton LeRoy Gingrich scored 50% -- 15 points better than a young Democrat from neighboring Tennessee, Al Gore.

And as LCV matured, environmental party politics regressed into the tribal mess that dominates all national politics. In last year’s Scorecard, Pennsylvania’s Brian Kirkpatrick was the only Republican congressman who scored higher than 50%.

LCV’s revenues for the last full year available were $78 million in 2020. Not insignificant, but couch change compared to Soros or Steyer, or Donors Trust.

This year, Republicans have once again run the table on LCV’s Dirty Dozen. Bearing rap sheets featuring Big Oil funding and climate denial, LCV has targeted several Republicans in high-profile, pivotal Senate races: Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson; Georgia’s Herschel Walker; Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania; and Arizona’s Blake Masters. Through no fault of LCV’s, “nonpartisan” is now a punchline.

I’m writing this with the TV on in the background. Bleak scurrilous ads vie to persuade me that the Dems are soulless criminals, and that the Republicans are, too.

But groups like LCV can show how the game should be played: By realizing that it is not a game.

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist and can be reached at pdykstra@ehn.org or @pdykstra.

His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate, or publisher Environmental Health Sciences.

A weather research airplane.

Trump budget plan threatens NASA and NOAA climate programs with severe funding cuts

A sweeping White House proposal would slash science budgets at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dismantling key climate research efforts and prompting warnings from former agency officials about national security and economic risks.

Gabrielle Canon reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Female scientist holding up a beaker of green liquid to get a close look.

Trump administration halts EPA science board meeting as agency faces major research cuts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency canceled a key science advisory board meeting without explanation, raising concerns amid broader efforts to dismantle its research division and lay off scientists.

Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Maersk Line cargo ship loaded with containers on body of water during daytime.

Global shipping faces first international emissions fee under new climate agreement

A group of major shipping nations agreed Friday to impose a global fee on greenhouse gas emissions from ships, setting the stage for a 2027 launch despite resistance from the U.S. and some large maritime economies.

Jennifer McDermott and Sibi Arasu report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
A metal capacitor with coiled copper wire next to it.

China blocks rare earth exports, rattling global tech and defense sectors

China has halted exports of heavy rare earth metals and magnets vital to electric vehicles, defense systems and consumer electronics, escalating trade tensions following President Trump’s latest round of tariffs.

Keith Bradsher reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A man in an orange safety helmet and vest working on a power line.

Britain races to overhaul power grid for the clean energy era

A massive underground tunneling effort and £35 billion in planned upgrades signal Britain’s urgent push to modernize its electricity grid for renewable energy and digital growth.

Stanley Reed reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A washing machine in a laundry room.

Trump sidesteps legal limits in bid to gut appliance energy rules

Donald Trump’s second-term strategy to dismantle appliance efficiency standards hinges on canceling a crucial government contract, sowing confusion among manufacturers, regulators, and environmental advocates.

Peter Elkind reports for ProPublica.

Keep reading...Show less
An aerial view of a winding road in the desert.

Big tech’s water-guzzling data centers are draining some of the world’s driest regions

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are expanding data centers in areas already struggling with drought, raising concerns about their use of local water supplies for cooling massive server farms.

Luke Barratt and Costanza Gambarini report for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.