Senator Bishop Recieves DIS-honorable Mention

Allowing toxics in children’s toys, defending the myth of clean coal, picking politics over policy; Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop was guilty of all of the above in the last legislative session, and his 2009-2010 Michigan Environmental Scorecard score reflects it. Bishop scored a perfect(ly awful) 0% on this year’s scorecard, bringing his lifetime average score to a whopping 20%.

His score of 0% indicates that he voted against environmental and conservation interests 100% of the time last year. This alone should be cause for concern, but the fact that Sen. Bishop holds a powerful leadership position makes his weak environmental record even more deplorable. As the Senate Majority Leader, Bishop controls the Senate’s legislative agenda. Bishop has the power to keep environmental protection and regulatory proposals from ever reaching the floor of the Senate (for example, House Bill 4402, banning toxic lindane, which has been held hostage in Bishop’s Government Operations Committee for more than a year).

Sen. Bishop’s unfortunate environmental voting record earned him a dis-honorable mention in this year’s Environmental Scorecard.