Marion Congressional Delegation = Poor Environmental Stewards

The health of our environment is a big issue in Marion County. We have the largest artesian spring formation in the world: Silver Springs. Marion County is also blessed with the Ocala National Forest, the biggest expanse of natural scrub in the state of Florida and the country.

We're worried about their future. Silver Springs' nitrate levels continue to rise (mostly due to fertilizers and such), threatening it's vitality. Not too long ago, the Bush administration was thinking about selling off portions of national forests to private interests to help pay for rural education - a deal certainly made with the devil.

Many citizens here know the importance of these places. Outdoorsmen, hunters, campers, and hikers know that what identifies Marion county, and what makes it such a great place to live, are places like these.

So it would make logical sense that our congressmen and women would be strong supporters of the environment - right? Well, you'd be unfortunately and tragically wrong.

The League of Conservation Voters released its latest national scorecard, and the majority of the people who represent us in Congress clearly flunked:

Ric Keller 15% F
Cliff Stearns 15% F
Ginny Brown-Waite 20% F

Our lone Democratic congresswoman, who represents only a small shaving of northeast Marion County, is the only one who passed:

Corrine Brown 85% B

Democratic Senator Bill Nelson received a 100% A+ rating, while Republican Senator Mel Martinez received an embarrassingly ridiculous 13% F.

You can read about all the bills that these ratings were based off of by looking at LCV's full report (about 48 pages) by clicking here (pdf).

And here's one more neat picture from the Ocala National Forest: