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Environment & Energy Publishing: Lone House GOP freshman escapes enviros' ire -- so far

By Elana Schor

 

To hear environmentalists tell it, the GOP freshmen who last year swept into the House on a wave of tea party frustration are the least green crop of legislators in American history.

But the predicted demise of the conservationist conservative may be premature, if Rep. Nan Hayworth is any bellwether. The ophthalmologist-turned-first-term-lawmaker from the northern suburbs of New York City scored a 43 from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) in its 2011 congressional rankings, which was released last week, making her tops in the GOP class of 2010 and tying her for sixth place among all Republicans.

Hayworth's score of 43 undoubtedly appears more notable because of the single-digit and zero percent ratings that many of her fellow freshman House Republicans drew from the green group. Her ability to deviate from the party line during her first year, however -- while earning her leaders' appointment to high-profile conference talks on a payroll tax cut -- shows that the GOP's rightward tilt in recent years may still leave room for Northeasterners to take a less dogmatic approach to questions of environmental protection versus economic growth.

 

Nan Hayworth
New York Rep. Nan Hayworth is the only House Republican freshman to receive a respectable score from the League of Conservation Voters. Photo courtesy her office.

Asked about her high score from greens, Hayworth said in a statement that she is "delighted" by the recognition and acknowledged the line she walks as a Republican representing a district where environmental concerns are top of mind.

"I've sought to honor the importance of protecting our environment while also facilitating the economic activity that supports all the good things we do," she said. "In 2012, I will continue to do all I can to protect our land, clear air, and clean water in the Hudson Valley in a time of great economic challenge and fiscal austerity."

After defeating Democrat John Hall, a veteran anti-nuclear activist with a lifetime LCV rating of 98, Hayworth started off by voting for pro-green measures on three of eight amendments that the group tracked during debate on a House spending bill passed in February 2011 and savaged by environmental groups. She also voted for that underlying bill, H.R. 1, which included dozens of riders restricting the Obama administration's energy agenda.

Yet the second half of 2011 brought Hayworth to the Democratic side of the vote counts on several much-watched environmental votes, including proposals to restrict the administration's implementation of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. That latter vote, which successfully struck language halting threatened-wildlife protections from a U.S. EPA spending bill, earned Hayworth public kudos from LCV, the Sierra Club, the Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation.

"She's been able to stand out a bit from" a House majority that LCV slams as "the most anti-environment" in centuries, Alex Taurel, the group's legislative representative, said in an interview. "We definitely applaud her for doing that."

Hayworth's record has not gone unnoticed on the home front, where three local officials are competing in the Democratic primary for the right to take her on this fall. After Hayworth voted against a September bill blocking two pending EPA air rules, known as the "TRAIN Act," the chief of LCV's New York chapter publicly lauded her.

Hayworth's LCV rating was not her first plaudit from environmentalists since taking office. She was one of only four House Republicans to receive a "B" grade on the Sierra Club's ranking of lawmakers' approaches to regulation of coal ash (E&E Daily, Oct. 11, 2011).

"Our Hudson Valley is blessed with a magnificent river, glorious scenery, historic treasures, beautiful parks, and wild areas that we have taken care to preserve. In my role as a federal legislator I've sought to honor the importance of protecting our environment while also facilitating the economic activity that supports all the good things we do," Hayworth said.

Her 43 rating from LCV puts Hayworth behind Maine's famously centrist Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who drew scores of 64 and 55 for last year, respectively. But only three House Republicans outscored her on LCV's scale, according to an E&E Daily tally: Chris Smith and Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey with a 60 and a 54, respectively; and Pennsylvania's Mike Fitzpatrick with a 46.

Hayworth is also the lead sponsor of legislation (H.R. 2599) that would preserve a federal program formed to help homeowners finance energy-efficiency upgrades through future savings. Known as Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE, the program is now in limbo as mortgage regulators reassess its effectiveness (E&ENews PM, Jan. 26).

Don't 'overstate her score,' enviro warns

Despite the bright spots on her voting record, Hayworth's top LCV status among GOP freshmen does not make her a natural partner for all environmentalists. Her lower Hudson Valley district includes the aging Indian Point nuclear facility, the subject of longtime public concerns over safety, yet one prominent Empire State green group could not get its calls returned after requesting a meeting with Hayworth on the plant.

"We didn't even go in at the deep end" in terms of detailed qualms about nuclear fuel stored at Indian Point, said Paul Gallay, president of the New York clean-water group Riverkeeper, whose team made what he said were several failed attempts to talk with Hayworth's aides. "We're not impressed."

In addition, Hayworth's opposition to the TRAIN Act and endangered-species limits were followed by "yes" votes on bills halting EPA boiler emissions rules and coal-ash regulations -- on a bill that came up two days after she won kudos from the Sierra Club. The political action committee of Koch Industries Inc. is among her donors, helping her build a war chest of more than $1.1 million at year's end -- about seven times the amount of money that the top fundraiser among her prospective Democratic challengers banked.

Taurel, of LCV, warned against attempts to "overstate her score," adding that Hayworth's swing district, as it is currently drawn -- and the lines could change significantly -- is known for its pro-environment tilt. "We just have to keep working with her to make sure that her votes protect those interests even more of the time," he said.