April 18, 2018

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

RE: Oppose the Nomination of Jim Bridenstine for NASA Administrator

Dear Senator,

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) works to turn environmental values into national 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.

LCV urges you to oppose the nomination of Representative Jim Bridenstine for Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Rep. Bridenstine’s extreme views about NASA’s mission, his voting record, his many inaccurate scientific statements, and his lack of qualifications make him an unacceptable choice to be NASA Administrator.  His voting record is at odds with NASA’s mission and shows a history of opposing science-based environmental standards and supporting weakening the ability of agencies to rely on science in decision-making. As recently as 2016, Rep. Bridenstine sought to change the mission of NASA by authoring legislation which essentially stripped out Earth Science and Earth Observing Missions.  Scientists, researchers, and individuals across the country rely on this data, and the continuity of its collection to understand, forecast, and respond to changes in land use, pollutant emissions, atmospheric chemistry, weather and climate, and other phenomena.

Rep. Bridenstine is a long-time climate change denier who lacks the basic qualifications to lead a non-partisan, science-based agency. Additionally, Rep. Bridenstine has consistently voted against climate protections and voted for cutting climate research funding. His voting record is in line with the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to core NASA programs and fits Trump’s disturbing pattern of putting forth climate denying, anti-environmental, and anti-science nominees. NASA’s mission is too important to put someone who is hostile to science in charge of the Agency.

For these reasons, LCV urges you to oppose the nomination of Jim Bridenstine for Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). We will strongly consider including this 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