2001 LCV Environmental Rating: 100%

2000 LCV Environmental Rating: 87%

Lifetime LCV Environmental Rating: 91%  

In her four years serving Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District, Representative Tammy Baldwin has proven herself a champion of clean air, the protection of public lands, and efficient energy use.

During her tenure in the House of Representatives, Baldwin has been both a leader and a solid vote on environmental issues.  According to Baldwin, "my voting record on environmental issues reflects my strong commitment to protecting the health of our environment and the beauty of our natural resources."  As a member of the Budget Committee, her work to increase the number of federal dollars spent on environmental protection confirms her dedication.

Fuel Economy & Energy Policy
As a member of the House Renewable Energy Caucus, Baldwin devotes time and effort to pushing for increased fuel economy and an energy policy that makes us less reliant on polluting fossil fuels.  

She cosponsored legislation to provide tax incentives for introduction of new technologies to reduce energy consumption in buildings.  

• She was one of 160 House members to vote for an amendment requiring light trucks to meet the same 27.5 miles-per-gallon standard as cars by the year 2007, saving approximately 1 million barrels of oil per day. 
  
  
• She cosponsored a bill to extend the tax credit for electricity produced by wind power for five years. 
  
  
• She voted to reject President Bush's national energy plan, which emphasized polluting fossil fuel development and production at the expense of cleaner renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies.

Clean Air
Baldwin has stated that, "I have always believed that if we don’t have clean air and clean water, then all the other issues before us are irrelevant."

Baldwin’s actions speak even louder than her words.  In 2001, she cosponsored legislation to amend the Clean Air Act by establishing stiffer emission requirements on mercury, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide for U.S. fossil fuel-fired electric utilities.  Baldwin also cosponsored a bill in 2000 to prohibit the use of MTBE, a fuel additive, that has led to drinking water pollution in many areas of the country.  

Protecting Public Land
Baldwin is a principled and consistent supporter of greater protections for our public lands.  In 2001 she voted against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, stating: "I believe that drilling in the [Arctic Refuge] will threaten some of our nation's most pristine wilderness and will not reduce America's reliance on foreign oil producers."  Baldwin not only voted to protect this pristine area, but also cosponsored legislation to protect the Arctic coastal plain as a wilderness area.

Baldwin cosponsored the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Act of 2001 that would designate certain lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness.  She also played an instrumental role in securing necessary funding to protect Wisconsin's Ice Age National Scenic Trail, a 1,000-mile trail that goes through 31 Wisconsin counties, from development and sprawl.

The District
Located in south central Wisconsin, the 2nd Congressional District includes the cities of Madison in Dane County, the second largest and fastest growing city in the state, and the Democrat leaning city of Beloit in Rock County.  Redistricting pushed the district further south and many of the rural and farming areas into another congressional district. 

Baldwin has faced tough challenges in the past, including a slim 3-point victory in 2000.  Political analysts see this race as highly competitive with Republicans heavily recruiting a conservative opponent.