Michigan LCV 2013-2014 Report Card On the Environment Awards Governor Snyder a “C”
ON MAR. 5, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters (Michigan LCV) released its 2013 – 2014 “How Green is Your Governor? Report Card,” assigning Governor Snyder an overall letter grade of “C” for the second half of his first term in office. The Report Card offers a detailed analysis of the performance of Governor Snyder, his administration and the agencies he directs on issues impacting Michigan’s land, air and water.
“We had high hopes for Governor Snyder throughout his first term in office, but he was not a dependable leader for protecting Michigan’s invaluable natural resources from serious threats like pollution and development,” said Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director for Michigan LCV. “While the Governor stood up to a number of egregious attacks from an anti-conservation legislature, too often he gave the green light to plans to degrade defining natural features of our state. Michiganders deserve better than an average grade from their Governor on the land, air and water issues that impact all of us.”
The latest Report Card scores 67 actions from the Executive Branch throughout 2013 – 2014 and categorizes those actions into seven issue-based sections, including Clean Air & Energy, Land Conservation and Toxics & Solid Waste. The Governor’s overall grade of “C” remains the same as the 2011 – 2012 Report Card, but reflects a new set of actions. Since his first Report Card, Governor Snyder’s grade dropped on Great Lakes and water issues, and increased significantly on budget allocations for natural resources-related state agencies. All scored decisions are compiled from How Green is Your Governor?, Michigan LCV’s online accountability tool for the Executive Branch.
“This report card reflects the fact that Governor Snyder’s first term in office has not been as positive for the environment as we had hoped when we endorsed his candidacy in 2010,” said Jack Schmitt, Deputy Director for Michigan LCV. “However, this year, the Governor has a huge opportunity to improve his grade, and define his legacy, by leading on an energy plan that strengthens Michigan’s commitments to reducing energy waste and ramping up renewables. We look forward to seeing him seize that opportunity, and will be there through every step in the process holding him accountable for strong and consistent leadership on all land, air and water issues.”
The full 2013-2014 Report Card can be found online at: http://michiganlcv.org/HGIYG
Sierra Club’s Report on Governor Snyder’s Performance Awards Failing Grade
The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter released its first-ever gubernatorial Scorecard in 2014, which evaluated Rick Snyder’s performance on energy, environment, fair democracy and related issues. Michigan’s chief executive got a failing grade, scoring 31 percent on the most important actions taken during his first four years in office on Sierra Club issues. The reportcard, last updated in Feb. 2015, grades Snyder more stringently on many of the same environmental policies and decisions examined by the Michigan LCV.