CNN uncritically advanced presidential candidate Rand Paul's contention that he is “a different kind of Republican” who wants to protect the environment -- ignoring Paul's long track record of voting against environmental protections and denying the science of climate change.

In a May 26 article about Sen. Paul's (R-KY) new book, “Taking a Stand,” CNN.com echoed Paul's claim in the book that he is a “tree hugger” who “want[s] our regulatory bodies to protect both our land and water.” CNN.com further reported that Paul, who is trying to distinguish himself from a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates, invoked past conservationist Republican presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln while expressing surprise that the GOP has “been branded as a party that doesn't like the environment.”

In his book, Paul points to his composting habits and life-long love of gardening as proof of his environmentalist bona fides, according to CNN:

In a new book released on Tuesday, Paul said he composts and believes in clean air and clean water. Paul notes that he has planted giant sequoias in his yard and repurposed old trees used for a fort to build compost bins.

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Paul also details his history planting trees and flowers at his house in Bowling Green, Kentucky and his childhood home in Lake Jackson, Texas. Some trees he has planted in Bowling Green are now 40-feet tall, according to the candidate.

But while CNN took at face value that Paul “believes in clean air and clean water,” Paul actually has a very long history of opposing air and water safeguards, according to the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) National Environmental Scorecard.

Carbon Pollution And Climate Science Denial 

On January 21, Paul joined 48 other Republicans in denying the science of climate change by voting against an amendment stating that “human activity significantly contributes to climate change” -- the position held by the vast majority of climate scientists.  On March 26, Paul also voted to undermine the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan, which would address climate change by placing the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants.

In 2011, Paul even voted to repeal the scientific finding by the EPA that greenhouse gases endanger public health and permanently block the EPA from regulating carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Toxic Air Pollution

In 2012, Paul voted for a bill that would void the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants, the country's largest source of dangerous mercury pollution. The measure would have threatened thousands of Americans by increasing their risk of heart attack, asthma complications, and premature death as a result of toxic air pollution.

In 2015, Paul supported an amendment that would have exempted some coal-fired power plants from fully complying with both the mercury rule and the EPA's Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which improves air quality by requiring states to reduce power plant emissions that contribute to pollution in other states.

Clean Water Protections

In 2013 and 2015, Paul voted to prevent the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from protecting waterways that are a source of drinking water for 117 million Americans.

In 2015, Paul also voted to protect a loophole that exempts hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. “fracking”) from the Safe Drinking Water Act's restrictions on injecting toxic chemicals into the ground. Leaky fracking wells have been responsible for hundreds of documented cases of groundwater contamination.

Big Oil Subsidies

On several occasions during his Senate career, Paul has voted to protect multibillion-dollar tax breaks for the nation's largest oil companies, despite their record profits. 

Meanwhile, Paul has voted against critical tax incentives for renewable energy, including the production tax credit (PTC), which has been targeted by the oil and gas industry because of its success in expanding the production of clean wind-generated electricity in the United States.

As Anti-Environmental As Other GOP Candidates

According to CNN, Paul hopes to cast himself as a “fresher Republican face who can appeal to new audiences, such as environmentalists.” But his legislative record on environmental issues is as bad -- or even worse -- than other Republican presidential hopefuls. Paul's voting record earned him a 0% score on LCV's Scorecard in both 2012 and 2014, and he has a lifetime LCV score of just 9 percent.

According to LCV, both Paul's lifetime and 2014 environmental scores are identical to those of GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Paul's lifetime score is even worse than that of another candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Paul's environmental record is also marginally worse than newly declared candidate and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), whose lifetime LCV score was 10 percent.

Media Matters Climate and Energy Program Director Andrew Seifter contributed to this research.