WASHINGTON — A prominent national environmental organization doesn't think too highly of Utah's congressional delegation, giving all five Utahns failing grades for their votes the past two years on key wildlife and habitat legislation.

The report card by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, affiliated with Defenders of Wildlife, gave Sen. Orrin Hatch and Sen. Bob Bennett, both Utah Republicans, a "zero" score out of a possible 100 based on their votes on 13 pieces of environmental legislation over the past two years.

Rep. Chris Cannon, the Republican incumbent in Utah's 3rd Congressional District, also garnered a zero, based on his votes on 20 different pieces of legislation.

Rep. Rob Bishop, a Republican from the 1st District, scored five out of a possible 100. His only vote that Defenders liked was one related to an inventory of off-shore oil reserves.

Utah's only Democrat, Rep. Jim Matheson from Utah's 2nd Congressional District, scored 55 out of 100 — the highest score among the Utahns on Capitol Hill but still much lower than most other Democrats.

Matheson voted with defenders on 11 different issues, including a vote to continue the ban on oil drilling in the Arctic National Refuge, to keep environmental protections for oil and gas development on public lands, and to protect old-growth forests.

All three members of the House delegation voted against Defenders on hot-button issues such as banning snowmobiles from Yellowstone, reinstating forest roadless protections and banning bear-baiting and killing bison in Yellowstone.

Both senators voted against Defenders' positions on issues like oil drilling in the Arctic National Refuge, military exemptions from the Endangered Species Act, energy development on tribal lands and legislation to reduce global warning.

"Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is doing its part to hold our leaders accountable for the positions they take on conservation issues," said fund president Rodger Schlickeisen.

"There is a worldwide scientific consensus that we are losing species and their natural habitat at an accelerating rate and that this loss is harming the ecological health of the planet upon which all life depends," he added. "Those who vote consistently against protecting and conserving imperiled wildlife and its habitat are on the wrong side of our children's future."

The Republicans in the Utah delegation are not likely to lose much sleep over the report card. The action fund, in addition to lambasting environmental policies of the Bush administration on its Web site, has enthusiastically endorsed John Kerry for president — something that doesn't carry a lot of water in Utah.

No Republican lawmaker earned a perfect score, whereas 13 Democratic senators scored 100 and at least 103 Democratic House members had perfect scores.

The report card is at www.defendersactionfund.org.

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