Senator Paula Benoit Receives Perfect Score from Maine League of Conservation Voters

For Immediate Release

October 30, 2007

Augusta – State Senator Paula Benoit (R-Sagadahoc County) received a rating of 100% from the Maine League of Conservation Voters for her voting record on environmental issues in the First Regular Session of the 123^rd Legislature. Her rating is based on the number of times that the league considered her votes positive for the environment.

Senator Benoit’s support of three important pieces of legislation helped her to earn the 100% rating. The first bill authorized bonds which would contribute $17 million to the Land for Maine’s Future program and $5 million for river front community development. The second bill was submitted to protect pregnant women and children from the release of toxic chemicals in homes. The third piece of legislation allows Maine to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is a multi-state effort to cap the amount of greenhouse gasses released by power plants. With the cap set in place by this initiative, Greenhouse pollutants should decrease by 10% in the next 10 years.

“Maine needs to make the environment a top priority. Maine’s rivers, lakes, and forests are essential to our economic stability and we must give the utmost attention to these natural resources. It has been my privilege to support this legislation to help towards making Maine a safer more environmentally friendly state.” 

The Maine League of Conservation Voters (MLCV) is an independent, non-partisan organization that works to make natural resources protection a political priority for Maine elected officials. The League publishes the Environmental Scorecard to rate current elected representatives. The League tracks the voting records of legislators and publishes the Environmental Scorecard annually.

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