Dear Senator,

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) works to turn environmental values into national, state and local priorities. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the media.

We urge you to oppose the judicial nomination of Judge Joel Carson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Judge Carson has a long history of advocating for the oil and gas industry, including serving as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Mack Energy Corporation and serving on the legal committees for both the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico. Further, in a 1998 edition of the Natural Resources Journal, he argued against the Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision not to compensate for privately-owned livestock killed by reintroduced Mexican gray wolves.

Overall, Judge Carson’s professional career indicates he cannot be impartial when it comes to cases involving the oil and gas industry. We need our courts to be a fair arbitrator for public health and the environment, not to put their thumbs on the scale for polluters. And at a time when the impacts of climate change are more obvious than ever, we cannot afford to give a lifetime appointment to a judge with so many ties to the oil and gas industry.

For these reasons, LCV strongly urges you to oppose the judicial nomination of Judge Joel Carson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. We will consider including this confirmation vote in the 2018 Scorecard. If you need more information, please call my office at (202) 785-8683 and ask to speak with a member of our government relations team.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski

President