Congressman Cohen Receives “A” on National Parks Action Fund Congressional Scorecard
Only member of the Tennessee delegation to receive top score
WASHINGTON – RealEstateRama – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) received the only “A” on the National Parks Action Fund Congressional Scorecard for the first half of the 118th Congress among members of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation based on his voting record, the fund announced today. Seven of the eight other House members from Tennessee received “F” scores, the fund reported.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“I am proud to have my support for our national parks receive this national recognition. Tennessee is home to several parks, battlefields, parkways, trails, sites, scenic trails, recreation areas, and wild and scenic rivers that are managed by the National Park Service, including our country’s most visited national park – the Great Smoky Mountains. Our national parks are a treasure all Americans, regardless of politics, agree must be protected and preserved.”
Congressman Cohen last year introduced the Fort Pillow National Battlefield Park Study Act directing the Department of the Interior to determine whether the West Tennessee site of an infamous massacre of Black troops at the end of the Civil War qualify it as a National Park Service site.
“America’s national parks have long served as common ground for Congress, even in times of serious political division and strife,” Theresa Pierno, National Parks Action Fund Board Chair, said in a statement Tuesday.?“Conservation unifies Americans in a way no other topic can. Time and again, we have seen members of Congress cross the aisle and forge unlikely bonds with their colleagues in the name of protecting our national parks. Our latest scorecard proves that kind of bipartisan spirit is certainly still possible, even in 2024.”
The scorecard assesses members of the House of Representative for the first session of the 118th Congress (2023), scoring them on key votes concerning park funding, conservation, historic preservation, and wildlife protection.
Specifically, the 2024 Congressional Scorecard is based on members of the 118th Congress’ votes on:
- Protecting Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida from harmful oil and gas drilling
- Allowing excessive, noisy air tours in national parks
- Jeopardizing the survival of endangered species
- Undoing protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico
- Preventing funding for National Park Service workforce development
- Weakening the future of conservation under the Antiquities Act
- Cutting funding for the National Park Service
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