HOW YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES VOTED
For the week ending July 21
DELAY OF AIR-QUALITY STANDARDS: Voting 229 for and 199 against, the House on July 18 passed a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 806) that would extend from 2017 to 2025 the deadline for states to adopt stricter standards under the Clean Air Act for reducing groundlevel concentrations of ozone, or smog. This would delay an Environmental Protection Agency rule that requires ozone to be reduced from 75 parts per billion to 70 ppb by 2017. The bill also changes from five years to 10 years the frequency of EPA reviews to ensure that National Ambient Air Quality Standards reflect the latest scientific and medical information.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
PROTECTIONS FOR VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS: Voting 194 for and 232 against, the House on July 18 defeated a bid by Democrats to prevent HR 806 (above) from fully taking effect if an EPA scientific advisory committee concludes it would raise health risks to vulnerable populations such as outdoor workers, children, seniors, pregnant women and minority and low-income communities.
A yes vote was to adopt the amendment. YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE
NATURAL GAS PIPELINE PERMITS: Voting 248 for and 179 against, the House on July 19 passed a GOP-sponsored bill (HR 2910) that would set tight deadlines for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal and state agencies to rule on applications for permits to build interstate natural gas pipelines. While backers said the bill would streamline an overly bureaucratic process, critics said it would trample on private and tribal property rights and undercut environmental laws. In part, the bill would allow conditional permits to be granted on the basis of aerial data collected by drones that critics said would fail to detect historical sites, endangered species and wetlands. Also under the bill, most agency reviews would have to run concurrently and be completed within 90 days.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
CROSS-BORDER ENERGY PIPELINES: Voting 254 for and 175 against, the House on July 19 passed a bill (HR 2883) that would end the requirement that presidents approve permits for oil and natural-gas pipeline sand electrictransmission facilities that cross U.S. borders. The bill authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue certificates for pipelines and the Department of Energy to grant approvals for electricity lines. Debate touched on the long-running dispute over the Keystone XL pipeline through the U.S.-Canada border, which the Trump administration recently approved following years of blockage by the Obama administration on environmental grounds.
A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
AMERICAN-MADE IRON AND STEEL: Voting 193 for and 232 against, the House on July 19 defeated a Democratic motion requiring all iron and steel components of cross-border pipelines approved under HR 2883 (above) to be made in the United States.
A yes vote was to adopt a made-in-America requirement.
YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE
GOP TAX OVERHAUL, TRUMP RETURNS:
Voting 235 for and 190 against, the House on July 19 blocked a Democratic bid for floor debate on a measure that would delay the GOP’s planned overhaul of the tax code until after President Trump has released his personal returns for 2006-2015 and business returns or return information for the 500plus companies worldwide that he either controls or serves in an official capacity. As a privileged resolution, the measure was not debatable. It stated, in part, that the American public deserves to know ”how any changes to the tax code might financially benefit the president.”
A yes vote opposed floor debate on whether to compel business and personal tax disclosures by Trump.
YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN
PATRICK SHANAHAN CONFIRMATION: Voting 92 for and seven against, the Senate on July 18 confirmed Patrick M. Shanahan, 55, a longtime executive at The Boeing Company, as deputy secretary of defense, the Pentagon’s second-ranking position. Shanahan headed Boeing’s commercial aircraft and missile defense operations, among other positions in 31 years with the company.
A yes vote was to confirm Shanahan. YES: UDALL, HEINRICH