Changes in society and values that underlay environmental action did not come to all areas of America at the same time or in the same way. Moreover, some aspects of environmental affairs made their mark early in the 1960s, but others came later. These variations and the patterns they spawned provide further insight into the nature and meaning of the social roots of environmental politics.

Congressional Voting Patterns

The most comprehensive view of variations in environmental values across the nation can be obtained by analyzing voting patterns in Congress. Beginning in 1971 the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) compiled an annual record of congressional environmental votes. Individual legislators were given a score from 0 to 100. Because they reflect the views of relatively small geographical areas, the records of members of the House of Representatives provide an especially useful portrayal of regional variations.

I have selected for analysis here the data for the Congresses of 1971, 1977, and 1983. The highest level of regional support in 1977, to take the midpoint between the first and last of these years, was in New England with a score of 71.0, followed in turn by the Middle Atlantic states with 62.9, the North Central with 52.0, and the Pacific Coast with 51.5. The lowest-level regions were the South Atlantic with 37.3, the Mountain states with 32.9, the Plains with 25.1, and the Gulf states with 20.5.