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Know the Score: Conservation Scorecard Here

By June 18, 2019September 29th, 2022Democracy, Legislature

Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) is committed to connecting communities across the state with their political power. That means New Mexicans like you, [salutation1], need to know if your elected officials are representing your conservation values when it matters most – during the legislative session. CVNM worked tirelessly to monitor all legislation for impacts to our air, land, water and health, advocating for pro-conservation legislation and defeating proposals that threaten the air we breathe and the water we drink, all while tracking thousands of votes on critical legislation. Our flagship tool – the Conservation Scorecard – highlights legislator votes and actions to provide objective, nonpartisan information about the conservation voting records of all members of the legislature so you can keep score and hold your leaders accountable. Find your legislators’ score and tell them you ‘Know the Score’.

Your continued outreach pushed legislators to vote for the conservation values of New Mexicans across the state. The average conservation score earned in the Senate in the 2019 Scorecard is 72%, an increase from 71% in 2017-2018. The average conservation score earned in the House of Representatives in the 2019 Scorecard is 65%, a decrease from 67% in 2017-2018. The decrease in overall performance in the House is attributed to a steep drop from a 37% average score for House Republicans in 2017-2018 to a dismal 12% in 2019. New Mexicans across the political spectrum value conservation and the protection of our air, land and water but those values aren’t reflected by the legislature, where too many of these issues are still seen as partisan.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham set the tone early in the legislative session when, in her first State of the State address, she made it abundantly clear that our state wins when we invest in our communities, protect our air, land and water, and hold polluters accountable. Governor Lujan Grisham issued a challenge to our elected leaders: get to work on legislation that will benefit everyday New Mexicans and future generations. Conservation Voters New Mexico took that challenge to heart and with YOUR help, and the help of Conservation Champions in the House and Senate, worked around the clock to hold polluters accountable, diversify our state economy and set responsible carbon-free energy standards.

The Energy Transition Act (ETA, Senate Bill 489), by far the most important piece of energy legislation debated by the legislature this year, was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law. CVNM has been working with Conservation Champion Senator Mimi Stewart on renewable standards since 2017 and we celebrate her continued leadership, year after year. Co-Sponsors Senator Jacob Candelaria and Representative Nathan Small worked tirelessly to ensure the securitization tool would be used to help communities most impacted by coal plant closures – providing over $40 million to assist plant employees, mineworkers and others with severance pay and job training. The Scorecard details how each legislator voted on the bill and analyzes the impacts of the passage of the bill.

Did your legislator vote on the historic bill to move New Mexico to 100% carbon-free energy? Check out the Conservation Scorecard to find out!

Our citizen legislators respond and act when New Mexicans like you and me  tell them that we expect protections for our communities, our air, our land and our water when they go to work on our behalf. Visit the Conservation Scorecard website, call your legislators, share your story and tell them ‘thanks’ – or ‘no thanks’. With the help of Conservation Voters like you, we can educate our decision-makers on legislation that affects our families and continue to make conservation a priority that elected officials simply can’t ignore.

Our citizen legislators respond and act when New Mexicans like you and me  tell them that we expect protections for our communities, our air, our land and our water when they go to work on our behalf. Visit the Conservation Scorecard website, call your legislators, share your story and tell them ‘thanks’ – or ‘no thanks’. With the help of Conservation Voters like you, we can educate our decision-makers on legislation that affects our families and continue to make conservation a priority that elected officials simply can’t ignore.