The House today began voting on the 2015 Water-Energy appropriations bill. Several Republican hardliners put forth amendments to gut DOE's renewable energy and energy efficiency budget, but they were all voted down.
Vance McCallister (LA-05) offered an amendment to increase funding for Corps of Engineers Flood Damage Reduction projects in the Mississippi River Valley below Cape Girardeau, Missouri by $47 million and to reduce funding for Renewable Energy Programs Construction by $127 million.
It was voted down 284 to 132.
128 Republicans and 4 Democrats voted for it. 185 Democrats and 99 Republicans voted against it.
Here are the 4 Democrats:
Janice Hahn (CA-44)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Bobby Rush (IL-01)
Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) offered an amendment to reduce by $10,421,000 the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account and increase by $15,000,000 the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund and reduce the Salaries and Expenses of the Department of Energy for departmental administration by $8,540,000.
It was voted down 309 to 112
110 Republicans and 2 Democrats voted for it. 190 Democrats and 119 Republicans voted against it.
The two Democratic supporters were Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) and Tim Ryan (OH-13).
Two amendments were even more extreme, seeking to zero out the budget for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Bradley Byrne (AL-01) offered an amendment to reduce funding for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account by $1,789,000,000 and including the amount made available for program direction and to apply the savings to the spending reduction account.
It was voted down 310 to 110. 118 Republicans joined 192 Democrats in killing it.
Tom McClintock (CA-04) offered an amendment to reduce funds for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by $1,789,000,000, Nuclear Energy Programs by $717 million, and Fossil Energy Research and Development Programs by $593 million and to apply $3,099,000,000 to the spending reduction account.
It was voted down 321 to 97. 131 Republicans joined 190 Democrats in killing it.
Weirdly, several Republicans voted for the McClintock but against the Byrne one. Those were Howard Coble (NC-06), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Scott Perry (CA-04), Joe Pitts (PA-16), Todd Rokita (IN-04), Dennis Ros (FL-15), and Todd Young (IN-09).
Eric Swalwell (CA-15) offered an amendment to increase funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by $111,641,000 and reduce funding for Fossil Energy Research and Development by $161,879,450.
It was voted down 245 to 172.
168 Democrats and 4 Republicans voted for it. 224 Republicans and 21 Democrats voted against it.
Here are the four Republicans:
Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01)
Chris Gibson (NY-19)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Gibson and Reichert have decent track records on environmental votes—for Republicans. I think Jones just voted for it because of the net reduction in spending--considering he also voted to slash renewable energy/energy efficiency spending.
Here are the 21 Democrats:
John Barrow (GA-12)
G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Joe Courtney (CT-02)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
Mike Doyle (PA-14)
Bill Enyart (IL-12)
Elizabeth Esty (CT-05)
Al Green (TX-09)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Rick Larsen (WA-02)
John Larson (CT-01)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Jerry McNerney (CA-09)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Tim Ryan (OH-13)
Marc Veasey (TX-33)