The Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) just released their 2006-2007 Environmental Scorecard for the Washington County Board of Commissioners, rating each commissioner on how often he or she voted to protect air and water quality, our area's natural ecosystems, and the climate.  OLCV reports that the Board's record is considerably improved since the last time they were assessed, in 2004-2005.  That's great; it's good to know that Board members are keeping the environment in mind more often.  Especially encouraging is Commissioner Dick Schouten's score - the only 100% of all the Board members.  And this was the second time in a row that Schouten achieved this perfect rating!

Click here for the most recent scorecards for the Washington County Board and several other local governments.

The Washington County Board is thinking more about the environment.  But why should Dick Schouten be the only one to achieve a 100% rating?  Maybe the next scorecard will see more than one member of the Board make this perfect score.

For now, you can urge the Board to build on their efforts by SIGNING THE COOL WASHINGTON COUNTY PETITION!

Epilogue:  I wrote this post last night, and have been thinking a lot about the OLCV scorecard since then.  My initial reaction to the scorecard was that it showed the Washington County Board was doing a pretty good job, and they deserved mostly praise.  Then, however, I got to thinking.  Chairman Tom Brian received a rating of 80% - the second highest after Dick Schouten's.  Not bad, I thought at first.  But put it in perspective: to those of us in college, 80% means a B-.  Commissioners Andy Duyck and Roy Rogers each received a 75% rating - otherwise known as a solid C.  Commissioner Desari Strader, who I've praised on other occassions for initiating the Washington County Sustainability Plan, got a 50% - that's, well, an F.  Granted, Strader was elected only part-way through OLCV's 2-year reporting period, and got the chance to vote on major environmental decisions only twice; I'm willing to believe her score would have been considerably better if averaged out over more than two votes.  But while the County Board deserves praise for doing better than last year time, in "Local Environmental Policy 101" they'd be a pretty average class - hardly quite prepared for "Advanced Climate Action 200," where every decision takes account of the dire threats posed by global warming and shortages of cheap fuel.  Luckily, the 101 course isn't graded on a bell-curve; there's nothing standing in the way of them getting more A's next time.

-Nick