By Liz Benjamin, YNN Capital Tonight

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From CapitalTonight.com: New York League of Conservation Voters President Marcia Bystryn singled out Rep. Nan Hayworth for praise during a CapTon interview last night, saying she was a lone bright spot in the otherwise dismal performance of New York’s GOP House members in the League’s 2011 National Environmental Scorecard.

“She was the fifth highest Republican, had the fifth-highest score of all the House Republicans,” Bystryn told me.

“And I want to credit here with that, because while we think there’s a lot of education we have to continue to do with her, there were a number of areas where she did step out and she was in the right place.”

The freshman Hudson Valley congresswoman scored a 43 on the annual green report card – far lower than all of her Democratic colleagues, but far better than her fellow Republicans, all but one of whom received grades under 20.

Rep. Richard Hanna got a 29. The lowest of those who received marks – both Democrats and Republicans – was Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, of NY-25, who scored a 9.

Rep. Bob Turner, who won a special election last fall in NY-9, got a 0 because he hadn’t served a full year, even though others in similar situations, like Rep. Kathy Hochul, were graded. (The WNY Democrat received a 90).

Overall the New York League and its national counterpart were dismayed by the votes cast in the Republican-controlled House last year.

“In 2011, the House Republican leadership unleashed a truly breathtaking and unprecedented assault on the environment and public health, the breadth and depth of which have made the current U.S. House of Representatives the most anti-environmental in our nation’s history,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski.

“LCV is grateful to those members of the New York delegation and to the Obama administration for helping to ensure that the House Republican leadership did not succeed in gutting our nation’s cornerstone environmental and public health protections in 2011.”

The 2011 scorecard included 35 House votes – more than in previous years. Chief among them was the effort to link approve of the Keystone Pipeline to the payroll tax extension late last year.

The president recently rejected the pipeline, but the House leadership hasn’t ruled out trying again.

Bystryn stressed that the NYLCV is not a partisan organization, and supports lawmakers who support its agenda. The organization, which has stepped up its political activity at the state level in recent years, plans on being more active than ever this fall as the Democrats and Republicans battle again for control of the Senate majority.

As for Hayworth, she’s a top target of the DCCC, and five Democrats have already either expressed interest in challenging her or already declared their campaigns. Much depends on redistricting, since NY-19 could become more Democratic if it absorbs portions of retiring Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s district (NY-22).

In 2006, the NYLCV endorsed then-GOP incumbent Rep. Sue Kelly in NY-19 over her Democratic challenger, John Hall, causing a mini mutiny inside the organization.

Hall eked out a victory over Kelly, and the League backed him in 2008 and then again in 2010 when he lost to Hayworth.