simple + green

According to this report from Reuters this morning, both of the Democratic hopefuls, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton cast far more “green” votes in Congress than Republican John McCain.

According to the League of Conservation Voters, on a 0-100 scale, the three Presidential hopefuls have the following historical scores:
* McCain: 24 percent
* Clinton: 73 percent
* Obama: 67 percent

However, in 2007 both Clinton and Obama saw a marked increase:
* Clinton: 87 percent (+14)
* Obama: 86 percent (+19)

McCain’s records is less than stellar:

McCain has sponsored legislation to combat climate change, and is described on his campaign Web site, www.johnmccain.com, as having a “record of common sense stewardship” of the environment.

However, he missed all 15 environmental votes for 2007 that were tallied in the report, including a vote on repealing billions of dollars in tax breaks for big oil companies, a measure that failed by one vote, the report said.

Missing votes is often a result of travel, but to miss that many votes calls commitment into question.

Green issues are political, and a massive sea change is approaching. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, these are likely to be some of the most important issues of the coming election.

That said, I’m pretty confident that we’ll see more positives for the environment out of the Democratic side.

According to league president Gene Karpinski:

“Clinton and Obama talk about global warming policy every day,” … “They’ve made this issue a priority because they know that’s what voters want to hear.”

Last year, Congress took 2 big steps: passing an automobile emissions bill, plus the so-called “Lightbulb Law”.

What changes will Congress incorporate this year?