WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how Maine’s Congressional representatives and senators voted over the previous week.
There were 13 key votes and 21 roll call votes in the Senate this week. There were three key votes in the House, which held a total of five roll call votes. The most important Senate vote was to pass a bill approving the Keystone XL pipeline. The most important House vote was to pass a bill to require the Energy Department to issue timely decisions on applications to export natural gas overseas.
Along with roll call votes, the House also took action on legislation by voice vote. The House passed the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act, sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-New Jersey, to prioritize measures against human trafficking in the U.S. State Department; passed a bill, sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-New Jersey, to have the U.S. and other countries provide advance notice to each other of intended foreign travel by registered child-sex offenders; passed the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, sponsored by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-New York, to expand training for federal government personnel related to preventing human trafficking; and passed the Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act, sponsored by Rep. Joseph J. Heck, R-Nevada, to increase funding by the Health and Human Services Department for measures to increase knowledge of, and improve services for, runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking.
House votes
House vote 1
STATE GRANTS AND SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS: The House has passed the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act, sponsored by Rep. Karen Bass, D-California. The bill would require governors, in order to receive grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs, to certify to the federal government their states have programs to identify children who are sex trafficking victims and treat those victims.
The vote, on Jan. 27, was unanimous with 410 yeas. Both Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District, gave yea votes.
House vote 2
CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING: The House has passed a bill, sponsored by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, that would replace the term “child prostitution” with “child sex trafficking” in the list of categories for reporting child sexual exploitation to the CyberTipline for receiving leads and tips regarding suspected crimes of sexual exploitation.
The vote, on Jan. 27, was unanimous with 411 yeas. Both Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin gave yea votes.
House vote 3
REVIEWING NATURAL GAS EXPORT PROPOSALS: The House has passed the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act, sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio. The bill would require the Energy Department to issue final decisions on applications to export natural gas within 30 days of ending its reviews of plans to build the natural gas liquefaction facilities that would be used to export the fuel.
A bill opponent, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, said 30 days would be an arbitrary, unnecessary deadline, and in any case promoting LNG exports could result in the U.S. giving away the competitive advantage of low-cost natural gas for domestic manufacturers in the pursuit of short-term benefits for exporters of natural gas.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 277 yeas to 133 nays. Chellie Pingree gave a yea vote, while Bruce Poliquin gave a nay vote.
Senate votes
Senate vote 1
DEBATE ON KEYSTONE XL BILL: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota. The bill would authorize TransCanada to construct its proposed Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil from Alberta, Canada, into the U.S. and declare that environmental reviews for the pipeline are complete.
Hoeven said the Keystone XL would improve energy security by increasing energy ties with Canada, lessening dependence on imports from OPEC members and other countries, and also boost the economy by spending close to $8 billion, with associate tax revenue benefits for all levels of government.
An opponent, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, criticized the bill for lacking provisions to increase the safety of oil pipelines and for not requiring TransCanada to make payments into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for cleaning any possible spills from Keystone XL.
The vote to end debate, on Jan. 26, was 53 yeas to 39 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Republican Sen. Susan Collins voted yea, while independent Sen. Angus King gave a nay vote.
Senate vote 2
SUBSIDIZING HOME SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have offered homeowners nationwide a 15 percent rebate on the purchase of up to 10 million solar rooftop systems in the next 10 years.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the subsidy would cost up to $100 billion, and falling costs for solar installations have made such a subsidy unnecessary.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 40 yeas to 58 nays. Susan Collins voted yea, while Angus King gave a nay vote.
Senate vote 3
EXPORTING NATURAL GAS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have required the Energy Department to review proposals to export liquefied natural gas to countries that are members in the World Trade Organization on an expedited basis.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, said expedited approvals would increase natural gas costs in the U.S., decreasing domestic supply of a low-cost, relatively environmentally friendly fossil fuel that can help create industrial jobs and reduce dependence on oil imports.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 53 yeas to 45 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Both Susan Collins and Angus King gave nay votes.
Senate vote 4
LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have overturned the Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, said Congress should not override Fish and Wildlife’s decision and have politics, not science, determine the status of the lesser prairie chicken.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 54 yeas to 44 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Susan Collins gave a yea vote, and Angus King gave a nay vote.
Senate vote 5
DESIGNATING NATIONAL MONUMENTS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have expressed the sense of Congress that presidents should consult with a state’s government before designating a national monument located within that state.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, said many national parks and monuments, including the Grand Canyon, have been designated under the Antiquities Act, and presidents had no obligation to consult with states before so designating federal lands.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 50 yeas to 47 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Susan Collins gave a yea vote, and Angus King gave a nay vote.
Senate vote 6
WILDERNESS DESIGNATIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have required the federal government to release lands designated as wilderness study areas if Congress has not, within a year of such designation, passed legislation designating the lands as wilderness.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, said it would abolish protection for 2.3 million acres of national wildlife refuges, and represented “a sweeping attack on millions of acres of land recommended for wilderness.”
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 50 yeas to 48 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Both Susan Collins and Angus King gave nay votes.
Senate vote 7
TAX CREDITS FOR RENEWABLE POWER: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have expressed the sense of Congress supporting the extension through 2020 of tax credits for generating electricity from renewable resources, including the $0.022 per kilowatt-hour wind production tax credit.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said the wind production tax credit was meant to be a temporary measure when first enacted in 1992, and Congress should end the credit and “stop picking winners and losers in the energy economy.”
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 47 yeas to 51 nays. Both Susan Collins and Angus King gave yea votes.
Senate vote 8
NATURAL GAS AND WATER REGULATIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-New York, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have ended an exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act for natural gas companies, including hydraulically fractured wells and underground natural gas storage.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the issues of fracking regulation and the natural gas exemption were beyond the scope of the bill, which deals with an oil pipeline.
The vote, on Jan. 28, was 35 yeas to 63 nays. Susan Collins gave a nay vote, and Angus King gave a yea vote.
Senate vote 9
LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have permanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is funded by royalties on oil and natural gas production in offshore waters and used to purchase wilderness and parklands.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said such legislation should be more deliberately taken up by the Senate, not offered as a late amendment to an existing bill.
The vote, on Jan. 29, was 59 yeas to 39 nays, with a three-fifths majority required for approval. Both Susan Collins and Angus King gave yea votes.
Senate vote 10
RENEWABLE POWER REQUIREMENT: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have created a nationwide requirement that renewable resources account for 25 percent of a utility’s power generation by 2025.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said it would increase power prices.
The vote, on Jan. 29, was 45 yeas to 53 nays. Both Susan Collins and Angus King gave yea votes.
Senate vote 11
REVIEWING KEYSTONE XL: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Cory A. Booker, D-New Jersey, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have allowed regulators to disclose to interested parties new information about the potential impact of Keystone XL developed after the final environmental impact statement for the pipeline was issued last year.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called it merely an attempt to drag out the already 6-year-long process of reviewing the Keystone XL proposal, and thereby cause the pipeline to be cancelled for lack of a final decision from the federal government.
The vote, on Jan. 29, was 41 yeas to 56 nays. Susan Collins gave a nay vote, and Angus King gave a yea vote.
Senate vote 12
KEYSTONE XL AND CO2 EMISSIONS: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, to the Keystone XL Pipeline Act. The amendment would have required the president to determine whether carbon dioxide emissions, including emissions associated with Keystone XL, would harm the environment before the bill can take effect.
An amendment opponent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called it a delaying tactic that sought to block Keystone XL by requiring regulatory reviews of any projects that increase carbon dioxide emissions, not just Keystone XL.
The vote, on Jan. 29, was 36 yeas to 62 nays. Susan Collins gave a nay vote, and Angus King gave a yea vote.
Senate vote 13
APPROVING KEYSTONE XL: The Senate has passed the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota. The bill would authorize TransCanada to construct its proposed Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil from Alberta into the U.S. and declare that environmental reviews for the pipeline are complete.
Hoeven said moving the Alberta oil via pipeline rather than by train was safer, less costly, and less environmentally hazardous, and Keystone XL would improve energy security by increasing energy ties with Canada.
A bill opponent, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, said the Keystone XL would pose risks to the environment, with little positive economic impact.
The vote, on Jan. 29, was 62 yeas to 36 nays. Susan Collins gave a yea vote, and Angus King gave a nay vote.