Dear Marylander,

I am very excited to share with you our 2007 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard. In line with the Maryland League of Conservation Voters’ mission to “keep score for the environment,” this scorecard includes votes for all members of the General Assembly for the 2007 legislative session and is intended to help you evaluate your state legislators’ environmental records.

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters has been producing the scorecard for over 25 years. To expand our reach and effectiveness, this year we joined forces with Environment Maryland to produce our scorecards. The votes in this scorecard, chosen by the Maryland LCV’s Board of Directors in conjunction with the staff of Environment Maryland help to distinguish those legislators who simply call themselves conservationists from those who vote for strong environmental protection when it really counts.

In the 2007 Legislative Session, the Maryland LCV saw some significant victories for our air, land, and water. Working with our colleagues and legislative leaders, we passed the Clean Cars Act, which will reduce tail pipe emissions. We also increased the amount of renewable energy used in Maryland and increased our use of solar energy. In addition, the General Assembly passed the nation’s strongest stormwater legislation, which will benefit the Chesapeake Bay and all our waterways.

There were a few disappointments this year, however, most notably the lack of support for the “Green Fund,” a bill that will create a dedicated fund for Chesapeake Bay restoration. The legislature also failed to act on the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would have made Maryland a leader in the fight against global warming by significantly reducing our greenhouse gases.

We hope you will find this scorecard useful and use it to hold your elected officials
accountable.

Sincerely,

Cindy Schwartz, Executive Director