An environmental group recently listed the entire Wisconsin Legislature and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, on its “dishonor roll.”

The League of Conservation Voters issued its annual scorecard last week which gave Huebsch a score of 43 for the 2007-2008 legislative session, up from a score of six for the 2006-07 session.

The report hails the passage of the Great Lakes Compact and the reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund in the state budget and puts on its honor roll legislators whom the League felt were instrumental in moving their priorities forward.

Yet the scorecard puts the entire Wisconsin State Legislature on the dishonor roll because, as a body, it failed to enact any climate change legislation. According to a League of Conservation Voters statement, “While the average legislator score was notably higher than in recent sessions, the progress was tempered by an overall lack of leadership that allowed several high-profile conservation issues to fail to progress despite having immense public support.”

Also on the dishonor roll are Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin; Rep. Sheryl Albers, R- Reedsburg; and Rep. Dan Meyer, R-Eagle River.

The report gives “Conservation Champion” status to 30 legislators, all Democrats, and places 10 legislators, nine Democrats and one Republican, on the “Conservation Honor Roll.”

State Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, scored an 85.

A number of legislators received the same score as Huebsch, but the League placed Huebsch on the dishonor roll due to his blockage of AB504 from coming to the Assembly floor for deliberation and vote. AB504 was one of the League’s high priorities and would have transferred the power to appoint the Department of Natural Resources secretary from the governor to the DNR board. A similar bill passed the Senate but it was not taken up by the Assembly. Huebsch had originally co-sponsored the bill, but he withdrew his support.

Huebsch said he wanted a mechanism for the board to be held accountable to Wisconsin citizens. “I had brought up legislation, a number of times, and the Assembly passed a bill, that would make the board members of the DNR to have a current hunting/fishing licenses or one in the last three years,” Huebsch said. “I wanted citizens to take comfort in knowing that the board is not made up of lawyers, but actually know what the heritage is and hold it dear.

“It was a package deal,” Huebsch continued. “The natural resources board (should be) held accountable to the hundreds of organizations to where we were comfortable. It was amazing to me legislators even had to make a bill to say that. If we don’t like what the DNR is doing, at least we can go to the governor.”

Cheryl Hancock, a Democrat from Holmen who is challenging Huebsch’s seat for the 94th Assembly District, pounced on the scorecard as confirmation of what she claims is Huebsch’s lack of representation and leadership. “The role of the legislature is to ensure that an open dialogue takes place regarding issues that are important to Wisconsin residents,” Hancock said in a press release. “As Assembly Speaker, Rep. Huebsch did not allow open deliberation on legislation that would have protected our groundwater, reduced dangerous mercury levels in our drinking water and stopped run-off pollution.

“It’s time the residents of the 94th Assembly District had a representative who took action on the environmental and conservation issues that impact their daily lives,” Hancock said.

Hancock said she might not vote in favor of the League’s positions. “I couldn’t say I would vote the conservation point of view on any bills,” she said. “The key point is it just reinforced the comments we have been making and his lack of leadership skills in even allowing those bills to be discussed.”

Huebsch said it was all politically motivated.

“The point I make is the truly important bills that were passed: the stewardship fund reauthorization and increasing the dollars available to purchase land plus the Great Lakes Compact. These are landmark bills and will affect the environment and Wisconsin families for years to come. When we take a look at what did get passed, it’s monumental,” Huebsch said. “The idea that this organization is a nonpartisan organization is just not true.”

According to its press release, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to electing conservation leaders to the state Legislature, holding legislators accountable and encouraging lawmakers to champion conservation policies that effectively protect Wisconsin’s public health and natural resources.

The new Conservation Scorecard and more information about the League are available online at http://conservationvoters.org/scorecard.