RELEASE: Gottheimer Earns 97% Environmental Record Score from League of Conservation Voters

Above: 2024 LCV National Environmental Scorecard for the NJ Congressional delegation.

NORTH JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) received a 97% score from the League of Conservation Voters’ 2024 National Environmental Scorecard. 

The score is based on critical congressional votes from the past year to help keep our air and water clean, move toward renewable energy, remove PFAS and lead from drinking water, combat increasing pollution and emissions, invest in climate resilient infrastructure, and protect the Jersey shore. 

“I’m proud to have received a 97% score from the League of Conservation Voters and to stand with millions of Americans working hard to protect our groundwater and fight climate change for the health and safety of our families for generations to come,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “Working to protect our environment is a bipartisan issue and something that everyone should agree on. We must continue working to protect our air and drinking water, remove lead and PFAS from our drinking water, fight climate change, and protect our children’s future.”

The nonprofit League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has published a National Environmental Scorecard every Congress since 1970. The Scorecard is the primary measure used for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress. This edition of the National Environmental Scorecard provides objective information about the most important environmental legislation considered and the corresponding voting records of all members of the first session of the 118th Congress. This Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from more than 20 respected environmental, environmental justice, and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which members of Congress should be scored. 

In Congress, Gottheimer has fought to combat climate change and protect our air, water, wildlife, and all of our open spaces, including:

·         Gottheimer helped shape and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, to get lead out of our children’s drinking water, to build the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure we need for the next generation of vehicles, and to boost climate resiliency.

·         Gottheimer helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act to make critical, commonsense investments in clean energy and help cut down greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.

·         Gottheimer announced his Clean Water Action Plan, which includes action taken to help our towns, schools, and water treatment facilities remove dangerous lead and forever chemicals from our children’s drinking water, stop waste dumping in the area, and provide greater transparency to our families about drinking water in our schools.

·         Working with local leaders from both sides of the aisle, Gottheimer has helped claw back millions of critical federal dollars to North Jersey to help get lead and forever chemicals out of the drinking water in our schools and homes.

• This includes a $3.4 million federal investment for Park Ridge’s water treatment system to replace wells.
• This also includes a $2.8 Million that helped break ground on a new North Jersey Water Treatment Facility, Ridgewood Water’s Ravine Treatment Plant, which serves more than 62,000 residents across Ridgewood, Wyckoff, Midland Park, and Glen Rock.

·         Gottheimer helped lead the fight to stand up against the illegal dumping taking place at the Vernon Waste Mountain and the harm it can have on our environment, on our drinking water, and on our families.

·         Gottheimer voted to incentivize the move toward energy independence and alternative energy with electric vehicles, wind and solar power, and power grid transition to clean energy sources.

·         In 2021, through the American Rescue Plan, Gottheimer helped claw back new federal investment from Washington to North Jersey for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to address Harmful Algal Blooms impacting North Jersey’s lakes’ water, local businesses and recreation, and families.

·         Gottheimer also helped pass the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act to fully protect and conserve our land, air, water, and wildlife.

More information on individual votes and the Scorecard archive can be found at scorecard.lcv.org. 

###