Ohio Chapter

NEWS RELEASE

Pending Legislation Provides Opportunities for Improvement

COLUMBUS - The Ohio General Assembly received a failing grade for protecting Ohio's air and water according to the new 2002 Interim Ohio Environmental Scorecard released by the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club. The overall score for the House was 42% and for the Senate was 58%. 100% represents the best possible score.

Senator Eric Fingerhut (D-Cleveland) scored the highest in the Senate with 90%. Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) and Dale Miller (D-Cleveland) scored the highest in the House, both with 86%.

Senators Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) and Lynn Wachtmann (R-Defiance) tied for the lowest score in the Senate with 30%. Representatives Jamie Callender (R-Willowick) and Diana Fessler (R-New Carlisle) tied for the lowest score in the House, both with 14%.

"This legislature is failing to protect Ohio's air and water," said Marc Conte, Legislative Coordinator for the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club. "We have a long way to go before environmental protection is standard operating procedure for the Ohio General Assembly."

The votes included in this scorecard presented state legislators with a real choice on protecting the environment and help distinguish which legislators are working for or against environmental protection. The interim scorecard includes votes from January 1, 2001 to May 31, 2002. A final scorecard will be released when the session is over after December 31, 2002.

There are several major pieces of environmental legislation pending in the current legislature including Senate Bill 96 which would implement a permanent ban on drilling for oil and gas in Lake Erie, thus protecting this valuable resource for generations to come. In addition, a Senate resolution is still pending (SCR 33) which calls on Congress to provide adequate funding to Amtrak.

The Sierra Club is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of natural and wild places, and promotion of the responsible use of the Earth's resources. The Ohio Chapter has 18,000 members.

The scorecard is available online at: http://ohio.sierraclub.org/legislation/124scorecard.asp

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