This week, the American Energy Alliance released its 2024 American Energy Scorecard for the United States Senate. The AEA scorecard scores voting and co-sponsorship decisions on legislation affecting energy policy in order to educate voters on how their representatives vote and hold members accountable for their voting records. This year’s scorecard compiles 27 votes from the Senators who will be finishing their latest term in the 118th Congress. Unfortunately, only 5 Senators achieved a 90% score, the minimum score AEA’s scorecard uses to classify a Senator as an Energy Champion. Only one Senator achieved a 100% score, in contrast to the 90 representatives in the House who did.
The following core principles guide the American Energy Scorecard:
- Promoting affordable, abundant, and reliable energy
- Expanding economic opportunity and prosperity, particularly for working families and those on fixed incomes
- Giving Americans, not Washington bureaucrats, the power to make their own energy choices
- Encouraging private sector innovation and entrepreneurship
- Advancing market-oriented energy and environment policies
- Reducing the role of government in energy markets
- Eliminating the subsidies, mandates, and special interest giveaways that lead to higher energy costs
All members are provided advanced notice that AEA plans to score an upcoming vote. The scored votes over the six year terms served by the Senators cover a range of energy and environmental policy issues.
The full list of Senatorial American Champions completing their six year term in the 118th Congress (Senatorial Class 1):
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) – 100%
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) – 96%
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) – 96%
- Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) – 93%
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) – 92%
The following members of Senatorial Class 1 are close runners up to our champions and should also be commended for their commitment to securing our energy future:
- Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) – 89%
- Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) – 88%
- Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) – 82%
While AEA applauds all the five members who achieved 90%, and the runner-ups, we must also note those members in key races whose voting record was harmful to their districts. Of the many low-scoring Senators, Senators John Tester (16%) of Montana, Martin Heinrich (7%) of New Mexico, Sherrod Brown (4%) of Ohio, and Bob Casey (11%) of Pennsylvania, were especially noticeable given the important role energy production plays within their states’ economies.
Additionally, below is a list of the Senators who scored a 0% over the course of their latest term:
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
- Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
- Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
To view the 2024 Energy Champions for the House of Representatives visit this page.To see the full results please visit the American Energy Scorecard.
