Paul Mohai is out to dispel a myth - the myth that blacks are not as interested in environmental issues as whites.

Mohai, an associate professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, has conducted studies in recent years which document a total contradiction of previous conventional wisdom.

His latest study concerns the voting patterns of black members of the U.S. House of Representatives on environmental issues dating back to 1981, when there were 18 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to 1999, when there were 39.

Members of the CBC, all of whom are now Democrats, have been more pro-environment - as measured by the scorecard system employed by the League of Conservation Voters - than the average non-CBC Democrat. For the period between 1981-98, the average LCV grade awarded to a CBC member hovered between 75 to 80 percent. For non-CBC Democrats, the figure was usually between 60 and 70 percent.

Mohai's research also shows that Southern CBC members usually have dramatically more pro-environment records than their Democratic counterparts in the South. CBC members from outside of the South, to a lesser extent, also have more pro-environment records than non-Southern white Democrats.

The lowest score for a member of the CBC was earned by Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, who scored 17 percent in the 1997-98 session. The only black Republican in the House, Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), who is not a member of the CBC, scored a zero in the 2001 session.

Taking into account an earlier study he conducted showing that black private citizens are just as concerned about the environment as whites, Mohai said, "All of that data suggests to me that concern about the environment among African-Americans has been around for a long time."

He said the number of black environmental organizations has grown from 100 in the early 1980s to 300 in the mid-1990s.

Mohai said factors such as regional affiliation and ideology do not explain these high scores for black members of the House. Nor does the fact that many national legislators come from impoverished districts in which polluting chemical and power plants have threatened the health of the representatives' constituents.

"If environmentalists are looking for supporters, they should pay attention to the African-American community," Mohai said.