For the week ending April 30th
OIL & GAS INDUSTRY EMISSIONS: Voting 52 for and 42 against, the Senate on April 28 passed and sent to the House a measure (SJR 14) to restore the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The legislation would nullify a Trump administration action that scrapped regulations imposed by the Obama administration. Methane, the principal component of natural gas, is a potent contributor to climate change that can escape into the atmosphere during oil and gas production, transmission and storage. To restore the Obama policy and EPA’s authority to potentially write additional rules, Democrats are using the Congressional Review Act, which gives a new Congress and president a window of time to legislatively cancel regulations from the closing days of the previous administration. Republican lawmakers and former President Trump used the procedure 14 times in 2017 to wipe out Obama administration actions.
A “yes” vote was to reinstate regulation of methane emissions.
YES: Ben Ray Luján, D, Martin Heinrich, D
WATER SYSTEMS FUNDING: Voting 89 for and two against, the Senate on April 29 passed a bipartisan bill (SB 914) that calls for spending roughly $35 billion over five years to improve drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, primarily by making Environmental Protection Agency grants and loans to states, local communities and tribes to expand and upgrade outdated systems. The legislation emphasizes improving water systems in rural and poor communities and would help water systems resist damage from the increase in severe weather attributed to climate change. The measure includes $710 million to reduce lead in drinking water. Another $550 million annually is earmarked to help bring more households onto public water and sewer systems or to install or upgrade their own systems.
A “yes” vote was to pass the bill.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
COLIN KAHL, UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Voting 49 for and 45 against, the Senate on April 27 confirmed Colin Kahl to be under secretary for policy, the third-ranking civilian position in the Department of Defense. Kahl, 49, was deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and later national security adviser to the vice president during the Obama administration. His nomination drew criticism from Republicans who argued that his postings on Twitter indicated he lacked the right temperament for a position of responsibility.
A “yes” vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
JANET MCCABE, EPA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: Voting 52 for and 42 against, the Senate on April 27 confirmed Janet McCabe as deputy administrator, the second-ranking position at the Environmental Protection Agency. McCabe was an EPA official during the Obama administration, serving as acting assistant administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation, where she worked on the administration’s plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
A “yes” vote was to confirm the nominee.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
SAMANTHA POWER, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: By a vote of 68 for and 26 against, the Senate on April 28 confirmed the nomination of Samantha Power as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Power, 51, is a former journalist and Harvard professor who was a National Security Council member and ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama administration.
A “yes” vote was to confirm the nomination.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
JASON MILLER, OMB DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR MANAGEMENT: Voting 81 for and 13 against, the Senate on April 27 confirmed the nomination of Jason Miller to be deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget. Miller was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the National Economic Council during the Obama administration.
A “yes” vote was to confirm the nomination.
YES: Luján, Heinrich
HOUSE: Deb Haaland (D) Ben Ray Luján (D) Yvette Herrell (R)
SENATE: Martin Heinrich (D) Tom Udall (D)
Contact your legislators at the U.S. Capitol
Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510
Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121