League of Conservation Voters

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League of Conservation Voters

In 1970 Marion Edey, a House committee staffer, founded the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) as the non-partisan political action arm of the United States' environmental movement. LCV works to establish a pro-environment—or "green"—majority in Congress and to elect environmentally conscious candidates throughout the country. Through campaign donations, volunteers, and endorsements, pro-environment advertisements, and annual publications such as the National Environmental Scorecard, the League raises voter awareness of the environmental positions of candidates and elected officials.

Technically it has no formal membership, but the League's supporters—who make donations and purchase its publications—number 100,000. The board of directors is comprised of 24 important environmentalists associated with such organizations as the Sierra Club , the Environmental Defense Fund, and Friends of the Earth . Because these organizations would endanger their charitable tax status if they participated directly in the electoral process, environmentalists developed the League. Since 1970 LCV has influenced many elections.

From its first effort in 1970—wherein LCV successfully prevented Rep. Wayne Aspinall of Colorado from obtaining a democratic nomination—the League has grown to be a significant force in American politics. In the 1989–90 elections LCV supported 120 pro-environment candidates and spent approximately $250,000 on their campaigns. In 1990 the League developed new endorsement tactics. First it invented the term "greenscam" to identify candidates who only appear green. Next LCV produced two generic television advertisements for candidates. One advertisement, entitled "Greenscam," attacked the aforementioned candidates; the other, entitled "Decisions," was an award-winning, positive advertisement in support of pro-environment candidates. By the 2000 campaign the League had attained an unprecedented degree of influence in the electoral process. That year LCV raised and donated 4.1 million dollars in support of both Democratic and Republican candidates in a variety of ways.

In endorsing a candidate the League no longer simply contributes money to a campaign. It provides "in-kind" assistance—for example, it places a trained field organizer on a staff, creates radio and television advertisements, or develops grassroots outreach programs and campaign literature. In addition to supporting specific candidates, LCV holds all elected officials accountable for their track records on environmental issues. The League's annual publication National Environmental Scorecard lists the voting records of House and Senate members on environmental legislation. Likewise, the Presidential Scorecard identifies the positions that presidential candidates have taken. Through these publications and direct endorsement strategies, the League continues to apply pressure in the political process and elicit support for the environment

[Andrea Gacki ]