Dillon, Mayes Top List of Worst Lawmakers

Clean Water Action has released scorecard ratings of Michigan state House legislators on environmental issues and for the first time two Democratic leaders head the list of Worst Lawmakers.

State House Speaker Andy Dillon and fellow Democrat Jeff Mayes, chair of the House energy committee, were given low marks for their leadership failures on key environmental and jobs-related issues in Clean Water Action's 2009-2010 Legislative Scorecard.

"For the past two years there has been a substantial majority in the state House to pass strong clean energy measures, but there has been an utter failure at the top in political leadership," said Cyndi Roper, Michigan Director of Clean Water Action. "Bills get introduced, speeches are made, and then nothing happens. This has been the story for nearly two years now and Speaker Dillon and Chairman Mayes are responsible. The consequences of these leadership failures are that Michigan is falling behind its competitors for clean energy jobs. "

On the bright side, 37 lawmakers had 100 percent ratings on the organization's Legislative Scorecard.

"The fact that nearly a third of the House members had perfect Legislative Scorecard ratings reflects the fact that a strong base of support exists for legislation on clean energy, health and clean water," said Roper.

Roper said when the Legislature passed energy legislation in 2008 it was with the understanding that those bills were a first step and that stronger legislation would follow in 2009. Instead, said Roper, Speaker Dillon embarked on a campaign to get more dirty coal plants built and frustrated attempts to move clean energy bills. His selection of Mayes as Chair of the energy committee proved to be fatal to clean energy legislation.

Mayes has bottled up in committee proposed legislation on increasing energy efficiency, raising the amount of renewable energy from wind, solar and other sources required from the state's energy utilities, and a Renewable Energy Development Incentives (REDI) program to promote the sale of clean energy by small companies and individuals.

"At one point this summer, Chairman Mayes cancelled a hearing on energy efficiency bills even after several small business owners in the energy field traveled to Lansing to testify. The hearing still hasn't taken place," said Roper. "This is failed leadership and it has hurt Michigan. Speaker Dillon appoints committee chairs and so he obviously supports the do-nothing Mayes approach to legislating."

Click here for Clean Water Action's2009-2010 Legislative Scorecard.