(photo) Sen. Kelly Scores 91 % on CT Environmental Voting Scorecard

For Immediate Release

Sen. Kelly Scores 91 % on Environmental Voting Scorecard

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) has been awarded a 91 % grade by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) for his votes this year on issues impacting the environment.

“I am proud to have again earned this positive recognition from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, a respected group which has been a longstanding strong advocate for the environment,” Sen. Kelly said.  “We all want cleaner air and water, and we all want to better protect and preserve our natural resources. I will continue to work in bipartisan fashion at the State Capitol to pass common-sense policies which continue to do exactly that.”

The CTLCV graded individual lawmakers on their environmental voting records in an annual scorecard released Oct. 25. The scorecard tracked each vote related to bills on topics like energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and pesticides.

Among the pro-environment measures Sen. Kelly supported this year was a new bipartisan law which implements a ban on the harvesting of horseshoe crabs from Connecticut waters.  In August, Gov. Ned Lamont held the bill’s signing ceremony in Stratford.

In addition, Sen. Kelly supported legislation which created a working group to study strategies for restoring ecologically important eelgrass along the shoreline.  Eelgrass is an important habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish habitats.  Eelgrass also combats climate change by storing carbon in the soil and reducing wave energy as waves roll into our coastlines.  But eelgrass has declined markedly along Connecticut’s coastline. The new law that Sen. Kelly supported created a working group made up of members of conservation and municipal shellfish commissions, a marine biologist from the University of Connecticut, as well as Save the Sound’s Long Island Soundkeeper.  The group will submit a report by Feb. 1, 2024 with recommended strategies and priority areas.

“From protecting vital resources to improving our sustainability and coastal resiliency efforts, there is always more work to do in the area of environmental protection,” Sen. Kelly said.  “I thank the CTLCV for the good work it does to keep the environment always in focus for policymakers at the State Capitol.”