This week, as the COP 21 climate negotiations begin in Paris, Congressional Republicans and their dirty Democratic allies have taken it upon themselves to proudly show their commitment to the fossil fuel industry.
On Tuesday, the House voted to block Obama’s carbon regulations on existing and future power plants.
And today, the House passed the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, a bill designed to expedite and lock-in fossil fuel extraction.
Here's a summary of the bill:
H.R. 8 would require that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decide on natural gas pipeline applications within 90 days, regardless of the complexity of the application. Currently, FERC conducts thorough inspections and surveys to ensure that people and the environment are protected. Also, H.R. 8 would make it easier to build natural gas pipelines through national parks such as Yosemite and Yellowstone.
If enacted, H.R. 8 would also prevent the Department of Energy (DOE) from providing any assistance to any proposed building code that does not meet a payback period of ten years or less. H.R. 8 would also remove a protection for consumers who purchase appliances that are not energy efficient. The bill would prevent the creation of the express or implied warranty based on a product’s participation in the Energy Star Program which would allow consumers to seek restitution when they purchase Energy Star products that do not deliver the associated energy savings.
Lastly, the majority intends to strip language from the bill to create a new minority workforce energy training grant program at the DOE targeted to help minorities, women, and veterans find work and build careers in the industry.
The White House has already issued a veto threat.
Nonetheless, it passed 249 to 174. 240 Republicans and 9 Democrats voted for it. 171 Democrats and 3 Republicans voted against it.
The 3 Republicans were Justin Amash (MI-03), Walter Jones (NC-03), and Tom Massie (KY-04).
Here are the 9 Democrats:
Brad Ashford (NE-02)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Gwen Graham (FL-02)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)
Annie Kuster (NH-02)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
There were a number of amendments voted on over the course of yesterday and today.
Two amendments from Paul Tonko (NY-20) received votes. The first was an amendment to strike section 1101 of the bill which relates to FERC process coordination. It failed 179 to 244.
170 Democrats and 9 Republicans voted for it. 233 Republicans and 11 Democrats voted against it.
Here are the 11 Democrats:
Brad Ashford (NE-02)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Mike Doyle (PA-14)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Nita Lowey (NY-17)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Niki Tsongas (MA-03)
Here are the 9 Republicans:
Ryan Costello (PA-06)
Ander Crenshaw (FL-04)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
George Holding (NC-13)
Leonard Lance (NJ-07)
Scott Perry (PA-04)
Bill Posey (FL-08)
Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Tonko’s second amendment was to reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program through Fiscal Year 2020. It failed 198 to 224.
18 Republicans joined Democrats in voting for it:
Rod Blum (IA-01)
Ryan Costello (PA-06)
Carlos Curbelo (FL-26)
Charlie Dent (PA-15)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
Richard Hanna (NY-22)
David Jolly (FL-13)
John Katko (NY-24)
Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Tom MacArthur (NJ-03)
David McKinley (WV-01)
Martha McSally (AZ-02)
Bruce Poliquin (ME-02)
Tom Reed (NY-23)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)
David Young (IA-03)
Kathy Castor (FL-14) offered an amendment to strengthen energy infrastructure resiliency and improve energy efficiency by incentivizing local renewable thermal (heating and cooling) energy and waste heat such as combined heat and power and by providing technical assistance to eligible entities to establish distributed energy systems.
It failed 175 to 247. 173 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted for it. 241 Republicans and 6 Democrats voted against it.
The 2 Republicans were Chris Gibson (NY-19) and Tom MacArthur (NJ-03).
Here are the 6 Democrats:
Joyce Beatty (OH-03)
Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05)
John Conyers (MI-13)
Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) offered an amendment to strike the section of the bill that eliminates an existing consumer right to recover costs due to manufacturer misrepresentation of EnergyStar products.
It failed 183 to 239. 171 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted for it. 229 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted against it.
Here are the 10 Democrats:
Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Elizabeth Esty (CT-05)
Jim Himes (CT-04)
Jerry McNerney (CA-09)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Jared Polis (CO-02)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Pete Welch (VT-AL)
Here are the 12 Republicans:
Justin Amash (MI-03)
Mo Brooks (AL-05)
Ryan Costello (PA-06)
Carlos Curbelo (FL-26)
Mario Diaz Balart (FL-25)
Jimmy Duncan (TN-02)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)
FOSSIL FUELS
Joe Barton (TX-06) offered an amendment to repeal restrictions on the export of crude oil and include provisions of HR 702 as passed by the House. That bill, passed in October, would repeal the Presidential authority to restrict exports of coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks under section 103 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and establish a national policy on oil export restriction, preventing any official of the federal government from imposing or enforcing any restriction on the export of crude oil.
It passed 255 to 168. 235 Republicans and 20 Democrats voted for it. 161 Democrats and 7 Republicans voted against it.
Here are the 7 Republicans:
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Pat Meehan (PA-07)
Tom Rice (SC-07)
Mark Sanford (SC-01)
Chris Smith (NJ-04)
Here are the 20 Democrats:
Brad Ashford (NE-02)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Tony Cardenas (CA-29)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Gwen Graham (FL-02)
Jim Himes (CT-04)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Dan Lipinski (IL-03)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01)
Jerry McNerney (CA-09)
Beto O’Rourke (TX-16)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Cedric Richmond (LA-02)
Tim Ryan (OH-13)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Albio Sires (NJ-08)
Filemona Vela (TX-34)
Don Beyer (VA-08) offered an amendment to strike the repeal of Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which establishes targets for reducing energy from fossil fuels in federal buildings.
It failed 172 to 246. 165 Democrats and 7 Republicans voted for it. 235 Republicans and 11 Democrats voted against it.
Here are the 7 Republicans:
Carlos Curbelo (FL-26)
Bob Dold (IL-10)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (IL-27)
Here are the 11 Democrats:
Brad Ashford (NE-02)
Karen Bass (CA-37)
Joyce Beatty (OH-03)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Pete DeFazio (OR-04)
Mike Doyle (PA-14)
Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
Jared Polis (CO-02) offered an amendment to require the Secretary of Interior to notify landowners, and any adjacent landholders, when federally owned minerals beneath their land have been leased for oil and gas development.
It failed 206 to 216.
25 Republicans joined Democrats in voting for it:
Justin Amash (MI-03)
Michael Burgess (TX-26)
Mike Coffman (CO-06)
Ryan Costello (PA-06)
Charlie Dent (PA-15)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
Richard Hanna (NY-22)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03)
Robert Hurt (VA-05)
Evan Jenkins (WV-03)
David Jolly (FL-13)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
John Katko (NY-24)
Steve King (IA-04)
Leonard Lance (NJ-07)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL)
David McKinley (WV-01)
Luke Messer (IN-06)
Erik Paulsen (MN-03)
Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05)
Scott Tipton (CO-03)
David Young (IA-03)
Gene Green (TX-29) offered an amendment to create a permitting process through the Department of Energy, FERC, and Department of State for cross-border infrastructure projects. This seems designed to streamline projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, eliminating presidential authority.
It passed 263 to 158. 236 Republicans and 27 Democrats voted for it. 154 Democrats and 4 Republicans voted against it.
Here are the 4 Republicans: Stephen Fincher (TN-08), Walter Jones (NC-03), Steve King (IA-04), and Michael McCaul (TX-10).
Here are the 27 Democrats:
Alma Adams (NC-12)
Brad Ashford (NE-02)
Karen Bass (CA-37)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05)
Gwen Graham (FL-02)
Al Green (TX-09)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
Eddie B. Johnson (TX-30)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Rick Larsen (WA-02)
Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Donald Norcross (NJ-01)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Cedric Richmond (LA-02)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
David Scott (GA-13)
Albio Sires (NJ-08)
Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
Marc Veasey (TX-33)
Filemon Vela (TX-34)
CARBON EMISSIONS
David Rouzer (NC-07) offered an amendment to repeal the March 2015 EPA final rule establishing federal standards for residential wood heaters.
It passed 247 to 177.
4 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for it: Brad Ashford (NE-02), Jim Costa (CA-16), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), and Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
Frank Pallone (NJ-06) offered an amendment to prohibit the Act from taking effect until after the Energy Information Administration analyzed and published a report on the carbon impacts of the Act's provisions.
It failed 181 to 243, with 4 members of each party crossing party lines.
4 Republicans voted for it: Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), Chris Gibson (NY-19), Pat Meehan (PA-07), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27).
4 Democrats voted against it: Jim Costa (CA-16), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05).
These 4 Republicans along with the 8 Democrats who voted for both the Pallone amendment and the bill itself want to have it both ways: they want to do the bidding of their dirty donors while pretending to care about climate change. It doesn’t work like that.
Note that Henry Cuellar (TX-28), who is often on the list of fossil-fuel-drenched Democrats, was simply not in attendance for the votes. He did not, unfortunately, have a new-found regard for the environment.