Saccone Among 12 Most Anti-Conservation Legislators in the County
Jefferson Hills – Today, the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania (CVPA) named Pennsylvania State Representative Rick Saccone (R-39) to the 2012 State Dirty Dozen list of 12 of the most anti-conservation state-level candidates in country.
“In only two years, Rick Saccone has proven himself an active opponent of Pennsylvania’s land, air and water,” said Josh McNeil, Executive Director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. “Saccone puts the interests of gas company lobbyists above the interests of his own constituents. The people of Allegheny and Washington Counties deserve better.”
To choose the State Dirty Dozen, LCV solicited input from more than 30 state partners, including CVPA, and looked at hundreds of candidates running for governor, state senate and state house. Those selected for this state-level “Dirty Dozen” represent some of the most anti-conservation politicians running in competitive races this year. For more information visit: www.lcv.org/elections/dirty-dozen/2012-state-dirty-dozen.html
Representative Saccone serves on the Environmental Resources & Energy Committee and the Joint Committee on Air and Water Pollution, but has worked tirelessly to slash or block common-sense efforts to protect open spaces and preserve healthy air and water for Pennsylvania families. A first term legislator, Saccone earned a 23% score on Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania’s 2012 Marcellus Shale Scorecard, voting:
- AGAINST requiring drillers to pay for damage to local roads caused by the gas industry.
- AGAINST making drillers test water before drilling and replace contaminated water.
- AGAINST asking drillers to pay taxes that could fund education and land conservation while reducing local property taxes.
- FOR stripping the rights of local communities to keep drilling and other infrastructure away from schools, homes, hospitals and drinking water sources.
Meanwhile, Saccone did nothing to ensure that Pennsylvanians were first in line for gas related jobs.
LCV’s national Dirty Dozen program works with partners like CVPA to target candidates— regardless of party affiliation — who consistently vote against common sense conservation and are running in races in which LCV has a serious chance to affect the outcome. LCV and its allies have defeated more than 60% of Dirty Dozen candidates since the program began in 1996. In 2010, Conservation Voters of PA helped defeat Dirty Dozen member John Perzel.
For more information and a complete list of CVPA endorsements, visit www.conservationpa.org/2012-endorsements.
