State Senator Joan V. Hartley (D-Waterbury) has received a 100% score – a perfect rating – from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) with regard to her voting record in 2012. The CTLCV scorecard is provided annually, this year with regard to votes on eight qualifying bills. Senator Hartley’s rating reflects her support for the environmental initiatives prioritized by the CTLCV this year.
Senator Hartley is one of 18 senators to earn a 100% ranking this year. For its evaluation the CTLCV tracked bills about clean energy initiatives, protection of water quality and open space, and balancing environmental protection with economic development.
“Throughout my legislative career I have worked to prevent environmental degradation and, where possible, reverse it, because it is important to do so and it requires a sustained effort if we are to teach future generations the value of our state’s natural features as a building block for a high quality-of-life,” Senator Hartley said. “I’m grateful to the League of Conservation Voters for its stewardship on these issues and I share with that group an understanding that it’s much easier to preserve these resources than it would ever be to try and replace them.”
The CTLCV acknowledged that the major focus of this year’s legislative session was job creation and economic development; it also allowed for a challenging budget climate in which funding for conservation initiatives and environmental protection was scarce.
“One of our most recent successes was a comprehensive overhaul and streamlining of our state’s permitting processes for new businesses and business expansion, wherein we helped accelerate the time it takes to review and approve applications while at the same time protecting our state’s treasured natural resources,” Senator Hartley said. “I share the commitment to environmental protection described by the League of Conservation Voters because there is now ample evidence of how ecological priorities can coexist with human development.”