NCLCV Announces Delegation Scores from LCV’s 2021 Environmental Scorecard

Five Democrats earn perfect scores, Bishop and Budd get zeroes

RALEIGH, N.C.— Today, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) released the state delegation’s scores on the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) 2021 National Environmental Scorecard, highlighting how some members chose to champion the environment and protect our democracy, while others failed to do so. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress since 1970. You can download the full scorecard in English here (PDF) and in Spanish here (PDF), dig deeper into the North Carolina delegation’s scores here, or see the full interactive national scorecard at scorecard.lcv.org.

Last year was one of the hottest on record and the driest since the Dust Bowl, and we saw an unprecedented attack on the very foundation of our democracy in Washington and in states across the country, including renewed gerrymandering here in North Carolina, which NCLCV successfully challenged in court.

The 2021 National Environmental Scorecard had a historically high percentage of votes related to justice and democracy in both chambers, reflecting these intersecting challenges. After all, without a healthy democracy, we can’t have a healthy environment. Those critical democracy-related votes, combined with confirmation votes for the record number of diverse Biden nominees, resulted in a record number of scored Senate votes.

The full North Carolina delegation’s scores are:

MEMBER	2021 (%)	LIFETIME (%)
Sen. Richard Burr	32	11
Sen. Thom Tillis	24	13
Rep. Alma Adams	100	98
Rep. Dan Bishop	0	0
Rep. Ted Budd	0	3
Rep. G.K. Butterfield	100	91
Rep. Madison Cawthorn	4	4
Rep. Virginia Foxx	9	4
Rep. Richard Hudson	22	4
Rep. Kathy Manning	100	100
Rep. Patrick McHenry	17	6
Rep. Greg Murphy	22	16
Rep. David Price	100	92
Rep. Deborah Ross	100	100
Rep. David Rouzer	13	5

Five members earned perfect scores in 2021 – Representatives Adams, Butterfield, Manning, Price, and Ross. Manning and Ross maintain perfect lifetime scores as well.

All but two members improved their scores relative to their lifetime marks – a low bar for some. Both of those exceptions got zeroes last year – Representatives Bishop and Budd. Budd will not be running for re-election, as he is seeking his party’s nomination to the open U.S. Senate seat. Bishop has not voted to protect our environment or democracy a single time in his two partial terms so far, while Budd has voted correctly only 4% of the time.

“The constituents lucky enough to be represented by Alma Adams, G.K. Butterfield, Kathy Manning, David Price, and Deborah Ross have champions fighting for them 100% of the time. But two-thirds to three-quarters of the time, the entire state lacks fighters in the Senate, and the other eight districts can do so much better,” said NCLCV Executive Director Carrie Clark. “Richard Burr, Thom Tillis, Dan Bishop, Ted Budd, Madison Cawthorn, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson, Patrick McHenry, Greg Murphy, and David Rouzer continue to side with corporate polluters over the people’s health and well-being, and have refused to protect our right to vote at a critical moment for our country. The future of our planet and our democracy are both at stake. North Carolina needs our delegation to work with the White House and their colleagues in Congress to pass the Build Back Better Agenda and vital voting rights protections now.”

Last year, pro-environment and pro-democracy leaders across both chambers and the White House undid much of the damage from the Trump administration and made progress in key areas. While the Build Back Better Act and vital democracy reforms passed the House, they remain stalled in the Senate by unanimous Republican opposition.

In the past 50 years, LCV has never felt it necessary to score the basic votes that uphold our country’s peaceful transfer of power and electoral outcomes. Last year was different. With the unprecedented January 6th insurrection and so many attacks by Republican members of Congress on the fundamental tenets of our country’s governance, LCV scored these votes in both chambers.

“While 2021 was an incredibly difficult year for our democracy and our climate, it was a sea change from the Trump presidency,” said LCV Senior Director of Government Affairs Matthew Davis. “Our pro-environment, pro-democracy trifecta made strides toward an equitable clean energy future in 2021. North Carolina has clear champions for our environment and democracy and others who are not delivering for their communities at a critical time. We see the last year as the foundation for accomplishing the transformational change we need in 2022. The Biden-Harris administration took bold steps towards tackling the interwoven climate and racial justice crises, the House passed the Build Back Better Act and democracy reforms, and now it’s up to the Senate to pass the transformational investments needed to combat the climate crisis and protect our democracy.”

The 2021 Scorecard includes 22 House votes, half of which were justice and democracy-related votes such as the vitally important voting rights bills. The 34 Senate votes include six justice and democracy votes. This reflects the need to safeguard the fundamentals of our governance from numerous federal judiciary and state and local policy attacks on our democracy and voting rights which primarily target people of color.

LCV has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from more than 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. LCV scores votes on the most important issues of the year, including energy, climate change, environmental justice, public health, public lands and wildlife conservation, democracy, and spending for environmental programs. The votes included in the Scorecard presented members of Congress with a real choice, and distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.

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The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) is a pragmatic, results-oriented, nonpartisan advocacy organization whose mission is to protect the health and quality of life for all North Carolinians, with an intentional focus on systematically excluded communities of color. We elect environmental champions, advocate for environmental policies that protect our communities, and hold elected leaders accountable for their decisions. We have worked for over 50 years to create the political environment that will protect our natural environment.