BOUCHER RANKED 11^TH IN EFFECTIVENESS IN 435 MEMBER U.S. HOUSE  

            (Washington, DC)- The non-partisan, public interest organization Congress.org has ranked U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher 11^th in effectiveness in the 435 member U.S. House of Representatives. The ranking was part of the 2008 Congressional Power Rankings, which were released in March on the Congress.org website.

            Boucher's ranking was based on a wide variety of criteria including his record in passing legislation, his position as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, and his co-chairmanship of the Internet Caucus.

            Last year, Boucher was chosen by his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives as the Chairman of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Subcommittee's jurisdiction includes national energy policy and the Clean Air Act. As Chairman, he is uniquely positioned to develop national energy policy with the views of Southwest Virginia's industries such as coal and agriculture at the forefront.