FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26th, 2025
Contact: Michelle Peal (908) 313-4178
LCV 2024 National Environmental Scorecard Highlights Congressional Champions in New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey – Today, New Jersey LCV released the state’s Congressional delegation’s scores for the League of Conservation Voters’ 2024 National Environmental Scorecard, highlighting our Federal congressional representatives work to protect our environment despite the extremism and chaos from anti-environmental members of Congress. Since 1970, LCV’s Scorecard has been the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress. It is available for download in English and Spanish, and online in both languages at scorecard.lcv.org.
The 2024 Scorecard shows that most of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation fought back against attacks on our democracy and rollbacks of environmental protections. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, MAGA Republicans across the nation embraced chaos and increased pollution. They pushed messaging bills and radical amendments on government funding that were so harmful their own leadership pulled them on more than one occasion — resulting in the least productive Congress in recent history. New Jersey urges all of our members of Congress, including our representatives from New Jersey, to put the environment ahead of partisan politics.
“New Jerseyans should be proud to have leaders who stand up against big polluters and attacks on our environment - and have the scores to show for it,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey LCV. “Despite the Trump administration trying to ban clean energy, raising energy costs for everyday people, we know environmental champions with scores of 100% such as Senator Cory Booker, Representatives Frank Pallone, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez, Lamonica McIver, and the late Donald Payne Jr. and Bill Pascrell, worked every day to protect our air and water and build a clean energy future.”
“2024 saw the most extreme members of the House Republicans again manufacturing wasteful, cruel chaos at the expense of the health and safety of our environment, our democracy, and our economy,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Unfortunately, we must look at 2024’s mostly fruitless attempts to provide more giveaways to Big Oil and other polluters while leaving communities across the country less safe as a trial run for what Trump and his captured Congressional leadership will do in 2025.”
For the third year, the 2024 Scorecard highlights the leadership of the Tri-Caucus. Leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) scored an average of 97% on the 2024 Scorecard. These champions in Congress led and supported many of the climate, conservation, environmental justice, and equitable democracy bills and initiatives in 2024, in addition to helping to educate constituents and connect communities to the transformational investments within the affordable clean energy plan.
This year, the 2024 Scorecard includes eight Senate votes, half of which were confirmations of qualified, diverse judges and other nominees and half were attacks on environmental protections. In the House, LCV scored 33 votes, 14 of which were poison pill policy amendments on government funding bills or the extreme underlying bills themselves, two of which were using or further weaponizing the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block environmental safeguards, and the rest undermined programs and laws that advance a safe climate, environment, and democracy.
The full New Jersey delegation’s scores for 2024 are:
Senator/Representative | Score |
Sen. Cory Booker | 100% |
Sen. Bob Menendez | 67% |
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman | 100% |
Rep. Jeff Van Drew | 3% |
Rep. Josh Gottheimer | 97% |
Rep. Tom Kean | 21% |
Rep. Andy Kim | 97% |
* Rep. LaMonica McIver | 100% |
Rep. Rob Menendez | 100% |
Rep. Donald Norcross | 97% |
Rep. Frank Pallone | 100% |
Rep. Bill Pascrell | 100% |
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. | 100% |
Rep. Mikie Sherrill | 93% |
Rep. Chris Smith | 6% |
*replaced Donald Payne Jr. upon his death
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 helped distinguish which legislators are working for environmental protection. More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org.