March 05, 2011 02:57 AM UTC

Tipton: I Care About The Environment! Never Mind Those Votes!

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the New York Times reports, the League of Conservation Voters took a look at the continuing resolution to fund the government through September that passed the House last month, and–surprise–the cuts proposed would be bad for, among other things, the environment.

This has reportedly mystified Colorado freshman Rep. Scott Tipton.

Freshmen scored an average of 15 percent for 25 votes pertaining to the passage of H.R. 1 last month, including a vote on the overall bill as well as 20 amendments that LCV labeled as anti-environmental. Only nine of the 94 House freshmen are Democrats.

Overall, House members received an average rating of 44 percent for their votes on the CR, down from last year, when the Democrats were in the majority and House members were awarded an average rating of 57 percent…

LCV normally rates members of Congress once per session but Tiernan Sittenfeld, LCV’s senior vice president, said the group took the rare step of rating House members on the single bill because the legislation marked the greatest assault on the environment in years. “If enacted into law, this bill would have devastating impact on the environment and public health,” she said.

…Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado said he hopes that he is not perceived as anti-environment. “I think unfortunately oftentimes we try to put in the position that you’re either for or against when it comes to the environment,” Tipton said. “I’m certainly not against the environment, and I don’t know anyone who is. There are those of us who have the perception that we don’t have to pick winners and losers.”

The freshman from the Centennial State received a 4 percent rating from the environmental group…

Oh, okay, Tipton is not “against” the environment. He just voted against the environment over and over, but that’s not the same thing–got it? Sorry, but even though Tipton says he’s not about picking “winners and losers,” it would seem that his votes as a member of Congress have made the environment, well, a loser. No matter how many speeches you give about loving the back woods and picking up trash on the roadside, the votes are what matter, right?

Sorry to harsh Rep. Tipton’s mellow like this, but the longsuffering voters in CD-3 are going to need to reconcile these meaningless campaign platitudes with an actual record next year. It’s a shame that actions speak louder than words, but sometimes it’s quite instructive.