Mike Enzi does not deserve an award named after Jim Range
Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 12:00AM 
The American Fly Fishing Trade Association's recently wrapped up the Jim Range National Casting Call in Washington DC, an event that "brings the fly fishing industry to congressional and government agency decision makers.
According to the Casting Call web site:
The event spotlights AFFTA’s strategic and core partner, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP), a public/private collaboration working to protect, restore and enhance our waterways and fisheries across the country. The Jim Range National Casting Call provides the venue for NFHAP to honor exceptional individuals or partners who have demonstrated a commitment to fish habitat conservation, science, or education with the National Fish Habitat Annual Awards.
Part of the Casting Call festivities is a Capitol Hill reception where Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi, and California Congressman Mike Thompson, were honored with the new Jim Range Legislator of the Year Award. Congressman Thompson for his efforts to protect salmon and steelhead on the Klamath, Enzi for attending every prior Casting Call and for helping small businesses as a member of the Senate Committee on Finance.
Worthy winners of an award named after prominent conservationist Jim Range? Well, you be the judge.
Thompson scores 96% on the most recent League of Conservation Voters scorecard while Enzi scores a whopping 14%. In otherwords Mike Thompson votes for the environment 96% of the time while Mike Enzi does only 14% of the time. Even the Republicans for Environmental Protection only gave Enzi a score of 40% in 2009. Why would you give an award named after Jim Range to someone who has a proven record of voting against environmental protection? Was this some sort of attempt at bipartisanship on behalf of AFFTA?
Next year's awards should only be given to individuals who support the mission of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, AFFTA's "strategic and core" partner. Based on his policy positions and voting record the Honorable Mr. Enzi does not qualify, not even close.
AFFTA, fly fishing politics in Politics
Reader Comments (6)
Klug would love to read a response on this one
wow..... sounds like the only jokers more suitable for this award than Enzi are the guys here on the east coast that essentially gave the gas companies free reign to the Marcellus Shale. I guess there's always next year.
FAIL
Spent a second on a fishing forum website (pick your favorite) to see that at least half of fly fishers are anti-environment ... that is, until the problems come to their homewaters, then suddently they perk up. If AFFTA is meant to represent fly fishers, it only makes sense that selfish money-grubbing anti-environment voices are represented as well. That they suck is immaterial. They spend money, and that's what the AFFTA cares about.
I guided Mr Enzi on the Kenai River last fall. He can fish, but I'm not impressed with the stated record. I don't talk politics on the river. In this case, that was clearly a good thing.
Offensive. Ridiculous. Why?
Who can we call on this?