The 2006 elections were also a great success for LCV’s trademark Dirty Dozen program, which targets current and former members of Congress — regardless of party affiliation — who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome. Our campaigns helped defeat 9 out of 13 Dirty Dozen members who had a combined average lifetime score of just 8 percent.

 

The new members who defeated them have a combined average score of 88 percent. Without a doubt, the biggest environmental highlight of 2007 was the passage and enactment into law of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act. It raises the overall fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020— the first fuel economy increase of new cars, SUVs, and other light trucks since 1975. This increase will save more than 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2020 and reduce global warming pollution by almost 200 million metric tons per year, which is equivalent to approximately 3 percent of U.S. emissions in 2005. The new energy law also includes important incentives and standards for efficiency in buildings and homes. In addition, it contains new light bulb efficiency standards that will reduce global warming pollution by 100 million metric tons per year by 2030, which is equivalent to approximately 1 percent of U.S. emissions in 2005.

 

While the new energy law represents real progress, it failed to include important provisions passed by the House. Unfortunately, a minority of senators forced the removal of the renewable electricity standard requiring that 15 percent of our energy come from renewable sources by 2020. Additionally, the provision to repeal billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies and put the funds toward clean, renewable energy fell one vote short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate. Congress clearly has more work to do to ensure a clean energy future, including passing a strong renewable electricity standard and a progressive tax package — both of which are critical for creating new jobs in a new economy and addressing global warming.

 

Although opponents of clean, renewable energy thwarted progress, they also failed to push through misguided policies of the past and other ill-advised proposals that could have exacerbated our energy problems. Both chambers wisely rejected efforts to increase offshore drilling and the production of liquid coal to fuel our automobiles (a fuel containing twice the global warming pollution of conventional gasoline).

 

In addition to working for a new energy future, LCV spent much of 2007 building support for a science-based global warming bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15-20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Although comprehensive global warming legislation did not reach the floor of either chamber, Congress started to address this most pressing of issues.

 

For the first time, the House adopted a Sense of the Congress resolution calling for mandatory limits on global warming pollution and also approved a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to deal with the security implications of climate change. In an important step forward, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee passed America’s Climate Security Act out of committee (it was not debated on the Senate floor in 2007).

 

While the 2007 Scorecard is largely focused on energy and global warming, the House once again passed numerous pro-environment amendments to the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill, including provisions to strengthen clean air protections, stop subsidies for building logging roads in Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest, and prevent reckless oil shale development on public lands. And in a major departure from the last several years, the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill provides increased funding to begin to restore underfunded environment and conservation agencies and programs.

 

One area in which this Congress failed to make progress was on the farm bill, which has tremendous impacts on our air, land and water. Unfortunately, amendments to reform farm bill subsidies and redirect funds to important conservation programs were soundly defeated in both chambers.

 

As we begin the second half of the 110th Congress, we have high hopes that Congress will build on the progress it made in 2007 by making 2008 a banner year for the environment. In particular, Congress must act quickly to address global warming by passing comprehensive legislation that achieves the emissions reductions the science shows are necessary. The world’s leading climate scientists have made clear that we have a very short window in which to act to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of global warming. We urge the 110th Congress to do just that.