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This is the first in a two-part series on Fairfield County legislators with the best and worst environmental voting records in 2011, as rated by a state watchdog group. Part I focuses on two of the countys most highly rated lawmakers.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. A powerful, longtime Fairfield County Republican and a three-term Democratic state representative from Norwalk are among just 38 legislators in the state House and Senate to receive perfect scores from a watchdog group for their 2011 environmental voting records.
State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and state Rep. Bruce Morris, D-Norwalk, received grades of 100 percent on the annual environmental scorecards that rated 187 state lawmakers.
The bipartisan Connecticut League of Conservation Voters issued the report.
Im very proud of my long record supporting the environment. I have worked hard throughout my legislative career to protect and conserve open spaces and support key environmental bills, said McKinney.
But I do not believe that having a thriving business and development community and protecting the environment are mutually exclusive. You can do both."
McKinney also pointed out that while the league does an excellent job advocating for and educating the public on conservation and the environment, their scorecards can be subjective and often legislators with low grades are not anti-environment. They just happen not to have voted for or against every bill the league supported or opposed.
The ratings are based on how legislators voted on 12 key environmental and conservation bills last year, the league says in its annual report.
Morris said he is proud of the perfect 100 on his scorecard.
Im grateful for the acknowledgement, as I have always believed strongly in protecting our natural resources and open space, said Morris.
I am particularly proud of the Environmental Justice bill we approved a few years ago that protects the environment in urban centers like Norwalk. We have several transfer stations, considerable industry and brownfields along with high poverty and density. The bill ensures there are regulations to cut down on pollution and keep up air and water standards to protect the health of our citizens.
But theres still a lot of work to be done, according to the scorecard report. Many Connecticut lawmakers got caught up in the effort to weaken environmental protections that swept the nation in 2011 to stimulate the economy, it said.
The number of lawmakers with perfect scores remained stable, but 34 legislators received failing grades last year more than in 2008, 2009 and 2010 combined, the report states.
Nevertheless, legislative leaders and environmental advocates worked together to sidestep the most threatening attempts to undo environmental protections and programs, the report states.
Other Fairfield County legislators with passing marks include state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, and state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, both receiving grades of 71 percent.
There is a continuing need to remind our public officials that Connecticuts environment is one of the states most precious assets. Protecting it is an essential role of government, said league Co-Chair G. Kenneth Bernhard.
Advocates helped defeat bills that would have undermined environmental permitting processes, derailed important water management regulations, and mandated ATV trails on state property, Bernhard said. Additionally, Connecticut was one of the few states to preserve funding this year for clean water projects, open space, and farmland preservation.
For information on how your local legislators were rated, visit the League's website at www.ctlcv.org.
Look for Part II on Tuesdays MSC websites that will feature Fairfield Countys legislators with the worst 2011 environmental voting records.
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