The House of Representatives passed on Thursday the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (also known as the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act). This bill, according to Michael Weiner of The National Law Review, "combines a series of bills that would authorize new research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) initiatives at the Department of Energy (DOE) across each of DOE’s applied energy research programs and authorize new funding for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, energy efficiency programs, electric grid modernization, and environmental justice programs. Notably, the bill also includes a phasedown of the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a top legislative priority for House Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic leadership this year." Additionally, the legislation supports the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
However, the day prior to the bill's passage, several environmental organizations (including 350.org, Climate Hawks Vote, Food & Water Action, and Sunrise Movement) published a letter to Congress urging them to vote against the bill, which can be viewed in full here:
Specifically, the groups criticize the bill for "encouraging carbon capture sequestration (CCS) and other false climate solutions that perpetuate our dependence on fossil fuels and the burden on frontline and communities of color, and that they do not " believe that CCS technology will actually work, given the failures of existing projects in this sector." They end the letter with the following plea:
"We cannot perpetuate false solutions to the climate crisis that keep our reliance on fossil fuels--as this legislation proposes to do--and have any hope of ending the climate or environmental justice crises brought about by dirty energy. We hope we can count on you to stand against this legislation and embrace policies that will truly support a just and equitable transition to clean renewable energy."
However, this letter did not stop the bill from passing the House by a vote of 220-185, and it also did not stop the overwhelming majority of Democrats, who voted in favor by a margin of 213-18, from supporting it. The Democrats who voted in favor of this bill have taken, on average, nearly 83% more money from the oil and gas industry this election cycle (an average of $10,710.24) than those who voted against it (an average of $5,864.94).
Among the Democrats supporting this bill, the top three recipients of oil and gas money are Reps. Lizzie Fletcher ($194,929), Henry Cuellar ($192,532), and Marc Veasey ($103,149), all of Texas. The bulk of their donations from the industry come from corporate PACs, with Williams Companies being tied as the top donor in this field for all three of them, contributing $10,000 to each.
In addition to campaign donations, several Democratic representatives who voted for this bill own assets in the industry. Leading the pack by far is Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who owns an average of $3 million in oil and gas assets as of 2018, the most recent year for which the Center for Responsive Politics shows congressmembers' personal finances. Blumenauer is followed behind Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), with an average of $957,501 in assets, although he since has said they have been sold. Next in line is Rep. David Price (D-NC) with an average of $313,000, followed by Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA) with $207,500, then by Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) with $175,000, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) with $150,000, Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) with $107,500, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) with $105,501, and the list goes on. These aforementioned representatives all voted for the bill.
Another reason that these congressmembers' assets in the industry are important is because many of them have leadership PACs, which allow them to fundraise for and contribute to other congressional candidates. The top recipient from Blumenauer's leadership PAC, Committee for a Livable Future, has been Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), who has taken $8,500 from the group. Meanwhile, the largest contributions from Heck's HECK PAC have been $4,000 each to Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) and Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), as Rep. Dan Lipinski, who was defeated for renomination in March and will leave Congress at the end of this year, has received $2,000 from Visclosky's Calumet PAC, and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) has taken the same amount from Dingell's Wolverine PAC. These representatives all supported the bill as well.
In advance of the vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) spoke on the House floor in support of it, ending his remarks with the following:
"Today, the Democratic-led House is doing its job for the people by supporting the development of a clean-energy economy and taking an important step to tackle the climate crisis in a serious way that creates jobs and opportunities for our workers. Vote ‘yes’ for a cleaner environment and a more prosperous and successful America."
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