The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters has released its 2022 environmental scorecard, and while many local legislators scored well on the advocacy group’s scale, some were singled out for their poor record on climate issues.

One of the organization’s primary functions is putting together the scorecard after each legislative session by examining the voting records of state legislators on environmental issues.

The organization grades legislators on a 0% to 100% scale based on their votes on environmental bills in committees, the Senate and the House.

“The 2022 final score is the average of the legislator’s individual votes on key bills we score,” stated the organization. “CTLCV fights to protect our state’s great natural legacy for future generations. To do this, we must hold our elected officials accountable. This Environmental Scorecard shows how your lawmakers voted on critical environmental bills during the most recent legislative session.”

The organization looked at how state senators and state representatives voted on 20 and 21 bills, respectively, including Senate Bill 10, which requires the state to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity supplied to Connecticut customers by 2040, and Senate Bill 4, a sweeping climate-change mitigation bill meant to reduce emissions and expand the use of electric vehicles in the state.

Both bills are meant to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and to prepare the state for its electric future. The scorecard also looks at how legislators voted on bills related to heating efficiency, bear hunting, climate-smart agriculture, tree removal, electric vehicles and other topics.

From around the region, State Representatives Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, Anthony Nolan, D-New London, Kevin Ryan, D-Montville and Emmett Riley, D-Norwich, had a 100% voting record on climate issues, though some cast more total votes than others.

State Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, received a score of 91%; state Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, 90%; state Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, 73%; state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, 67%; and state Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme, was graded at 56%.

The scores for local state senators were also separated by party, with Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, scoring 93%, Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, scoring 87%, Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, scoring 50% and Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton with 42%.

The League of Conservation Voters included local state Representatives Mike France, R-Ledyard and Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, in a group of legislators who they dubbed, “Out of sync with the environment.” France scored 18%, and Dubitsky scored 44%. Dubitsky did not return a request for comment.

France, though, pushed back against his grade, saying, "Seldom will you find me voting one hundred percent in lock step or as a rubber stamp for a political or special interest group."

"I appreciate that these types of organizations have a job to do, but so do I as a State Representative and that is to put my constituents and their needs ahead of special interests," France continued in a written statement. "In this instance, there were pieces of legislation that I supported and others that I felt were either misleading or too large an investment at the expense of Connecticut rate payers - especially considering as this period covers a once-in-a-generation recession. Investing in future green energy is important provided we don't destroy our middle class in the process."

The organization praised the state legislature for its significant investments in clean transportation and natural resources in the 2023 budget, including $51.5 million for park infrastructure, $20 million in grants for electric school buses and charging stations, $15 million in bonding for open space and watershed land acquisition matching grants, and $13.1 million for free bus service through the end of the year, among other initiatives.

It wasn’t all success for the environmental group, as several bills it supported failed this past session, and some legislation it opposed, passed, including Senate Bill 5200, a bill establishing a task force to study hydrogen. Environmentalists took exception to this legislation in part because “it pre-supposes that Connecticut should be incentivizing hydrogen power without asking if it makes sense for our state.”

s.spinella@theday.com