S.D. House Members

The Times gave considerable coverage to the contributions of the San Diego delegation in the House of Representatives (“S.D. House Members Pass Very Few Bills,” March 16). The account seems to be a mix of general information and a press release from each of the offices involved--rather than a critical evaluation of the records of Reps. Duncan Hunter, Randall Cunningham, Ron Packard and Bill Lowery.

During the most recent recording period, the League of Conservation Voters has reported that each of these representatives has achieved a 0% voting record on national environmental legislation. It’s hard to imagine even the most shrill and anti-environmentalist from the Building Industry Assn. could stand up and support such a irresponsible record.

In the last session of Congress, Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad) took the lead in proposing that the 1973 Endangered Species Act be substantially amended to weaken its ability to assure the survival of species like the condor and the gray whale. Recently Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Coronado) appeared before the San Diego Assn. of Governments to urge our local elected officials to rally with him to oppose biological viability--claiming humans were more threatened than the desert tortoise. In the past he has supported the “Barstow-Vegas” off-road motorcycle race across sensitive habitat.

Obviously, voters have a complex set of concerns in voting for their representatives in the Congress of the United States. The Sierra Club does not suggest that the voting records on environmental issues be the sole consideration for election to the House of Representatives, however we do believe the press has a responsibility to give a more critical account of the voting records of our elected representatives.

BOB HARTMAN, Sierra Club Conservation Committee