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Recent votes | President Bush & the Environment | Environmental Information
Kentucky State Legislature & Environmental Information | News You Can Use

Republican average = 5.3% vs. Ben Chandler (Democrat) = 100%

Anne Northup: One of the League of Conservation Voters' Dirty Dozen in 2001

League of Conservation Voters' Scorecard for the 108th Congress

League of Conservation Voters' Scorecard for the 107th Congress

Defenders of Wildlife Conservation Scorecard: Kentucky's Representatives

Defenders of Wildlife Conservation Scorecard: Kentucky's Senators
 

Gov. Fletcher
(formerly Representative for the 6th District)

League of Conservation Voters Vote Rankings for Gov. Fletcher when in Congress

Our Congressional Delegation in the News:

At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (March 11, 2006), Sen. Mitch McConnell praised George W. Bush as -- get this -- "one of the great presidents in the history of the United States." You bet. Right up there with Lincoln and Washington.

Northup opposes clean air

House Republicans, with Northup's support, target those in need

Energy policy: Congress can't hold candle to real people of faith

Mitch McConnell: Fast Food, Fast Money

With Ed Whitfield in charge, don't count on oversight being far-sighted

Hal Rogers' money magic: Tax funds turned into contributor's parking lot

Rogers' aid to House's 'Hammer' oozes irony

Anne Northup supported the DeLay Rule. DeLay is one of the leading forces in making "Republican ethics" into an oxymoron.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has been reprimanded by the House ethics panel for appearing to give contributors an inside look at energy legislation and misusing the Federal Aviation Administration in a 2003 Texas furor over redistricting. He also faces questions about irregularities in his campaign finances. DeLay's legal defense fund has been reactivated, and it has been given a big boost from Rep. Hal Rogers, R-5th District. Rogers held a fund-raiser in Lexington, Ky., in August that collected almost $160,000.

"Tom DeLay has a lot of supporters in Kentucky who believe he is being maligned as part of a political witch hunt," Rogers said in a statement released by his office. "A number of people across the commonwealth came to me and expressed interest in helping in this struggle by contributing to his legal defense fund. I was glad to assist in the effort."

Bunnings Fitness

What's Wrong with Bunning?

Bunning Lives and Lies Well

Bunnings despicable ad

Political savagery: Bunning ad a slap at Medicaid program, recipients

Republicans Ron Lewis, Anne Northup, Hal Rogers and Ed Whitfield support overtime rules that could deprive millions of
workers of their overtime pay

Bunning and McConnell oppose easing of restrictions on stem cell research

Vote Switch

Mitch McConnell and GOP block vote that would preserve overtime pay

Not-So Supreme: The dumb new proposal by Ron Lewis to veto the Supreme Court

From 'McBunnell' to Northup, Kentucky's delegation stands way to the right

Bunning Votes Against Lowering Cost of Prescription Drugs for Kentuckians

Jim Bunning (R - KY) on Global Warming: "I believe the science we have seen does not support the need to engage in questionable policies
to control so-called ‘global warming.' We need more evidence that the climate is actually affected by emissions, especially carbon
emissions, before we act too quickly...."
 

For additional news, check Kentucky's Congressional Delegation in the News

What Legislation is Being Sponsored by Kentucky's Congressional Delegation??
(Hint: Not much)

Check the Sponsor/Co-sponsor section of the Thomas: Legislative Information website.

Click here for addresses, phone numbers, & e-mail addresses
of Kentucky's Congressional delegation

Interested in the environment & politics?

Check out the KOS Environmental & Political News page!

TAKE ACTION!

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth Action Alerts

Defenders of Wildlife Take Action

Sierra Club's Take Action

Stop the Kentucky TriModal Transpark

The Wilderness Society's Take Action

Voting Summaries:

2003 - 2004 (108th Congress)

For summaries of how Kentucky's Senators and Representatives voted on
environmental issues during the 108th Congress,
click here (Senate) OR click here (House of Representatives)
 

2001 - 2002 (107th Congress)

For summaries of how Kentucky's Senators and Representatives
voted on environmental issues during the 107th Congress,
click here (Senate) OR click here (House of Representatives)
 

1999 - 2000 (106th Congress)

For summaries of how Kentucky's Senators and Representatives
voted on environmental issues during the 106th Congress,
click here (Senate) OR here (House of Representatives)!
 

Click here for additional voting summaries compiled by the Children's Defense Fund, Public Citizen, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, AFL-CIO, National Educational Association, and others.

Bill Moyers says "The soul of democracy - the essence of the word itself - is government of, by, and for the people. And the soul of democracy has been dying, drowning in a rising tide of big money contributed by a narrow, unrepresentative elite that has betrayed the faith of citizens in self-government."

What about Mitch McConnell? In the spring of 1998, working with the American Gaming Association (AGA), the casino gambling lobby, Lott and McConnell prevented Senate debate on an amendment by Sen. Dan Coats that would have eliminated a federal tax deduction for gambling losses. Lott also played the central role in passage by Congress, without debate, of a $316 million tax break for the casino industry supported by the AGA. In November 1997, Lott and McConnell flew to Las Vegas aboard Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn's corporate jet for a series of AGA-sponsored fund-raising events, which kicked off a fund-raising bonanza that raised $951,000 by June 1998. Also in June 1998, Lott and McConnell, working with tobacco industry representatives, killed the McCain tobacco control bill. Lott, reassured by McConnell that the tobacco industry would run ads defending GOP senators who voted against the bill, found the additional Republican votes necessary to kill the legislation.

Mitch McConnell - Speak Easy

Mitch The Bitch

GrannyD.com - Walking the walk for campaign finance reform

Check out Public Citizen's Congress Watch

Recent Votes

On December 21, 2005, the Senate approved a budget reconciliation bill with Vice President Dick Cheney casting the vote that broke a 50-50 tie. The 'highlights' of this bill include:

• Cuts to Medicaid will mean that parents and children who are just above the poverty line will face higher copayments and premiums. States will be able to scale back coverage. Medical services that now cost $3 will be priced at 10 percent of their cost, or $100 or more, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. So some families might have to defer or forgo care.
• Changing welfare for the worse. The country could make historic progress with a smart, aggressive plan to employ poor people with limited skills in a high-tech economy. Instead, Congress proposes get-tough rules, setting up states and families for failure. One provision will increase the work requirements of two-parent families. It's a worthy goal. But it is unrealistic given the illness, poor skills, and other barriers that many families face.
• Cutting $12.7 billion from student loans just when this nation is increasingly challenged by global competitors for high-paying jobs.
• Breaks for those who needed it least. Congress did not ask drug or managed-care companies to cut costs.

President Bush and most Senate Republicans, including Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning who both voted FOR this shameful bill, hailed the bill as a step toward reducing the federal budget deficit. But it is shameful to pursue budget sanity on the backs of the poor. Even worse, Bush and most congressional Republicans do not really seem to want to apply these cuts toward balancing the budget; they intend to pass more tax cuts, mostly for the wealthy, in amounts greater than the program cuts.

On November 3, 2005, the Senate voted 48 - 51 against an amendment, sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to NOT strip Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling revenues from the budget reconciliation bill. This vote is another in a round of a complicated and drawn out congressional budget process that unfortunately adds the highly controversial issue of Arctic drilling to an already contentious budget bill. For decades, the oil industry and its allies in Congress have targeted the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas development. The truth is, the speculative amount of oil that could be had from the coastal plain would not put a dent in our dependence on foreign oil, would do nothing to strengthen our national security, and would not save consumers a dime. This vote represents an unfortunate attempt by drilling proponents to open the Arctic Refuge by sneaking it into the unrelated Budget Process - a move that limits both public debate and amendment. A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On September 29, 2005, the House voted to gut the 30-year old Endangered Species Act, America's safety net for fish and wildlife at the edge of extinction, voting 229 to193 for legislation crafted by House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA). The bill eliminates habitat protection measures for fish and wildlife facing extinction, creates an exemption for the approval of potentially dangerous pesticides and establishes a new entitlement program for developers and polluters. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), implementation of the Pombo legislation will cost the U.S. taxpayer $2.7 billion over the next five years. The Endangered Species Act enjoys a proven track record of success. Ninety-nine percent of all the fish, plants and wildlife ever conserved under the Endangered Species Act have been saved from becoming lost forever, including the bald eagle and the grizzly bear. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted YES. Ben Chandler voted NO.

On September 13, 2005, the Senate voted 51 - 47 to allow more mercury pollution. In March, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency issued rules for reducing mercury pollution from power plants. The rule doesn't treat power plants as sources of toxic pollution. Instead, it institutes a pollution trading scheme that allows some facilities to buy their way out of the need to reduce, and delays clean up until 2018 or later. Senators Leahy (D-VT), Collins (R-ME), and Snowe (R-ME) brought a resolution to ""disapprove"" of the rule under the Congressional Review Act, which allows an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate. On September 13, 2005, the resolution failed narrowly, with 9 Republican Senators joining the majority of Democrats to vote in favor of the resolution.Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted to permit more mercury pollution.

On July 29, 2005, the Senate approved the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by a vote of 74-26, sending the bill to the President's desk and clearing the way for this terrible bill to become law. This bill provides tens of billions of dollars to the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries, significantly weakens environmental protections like the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and undermines consumer protections. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

On July 28, 2005, the House of Representatives approved the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by a vote of 275-156, advancing this terrible bill to the Senate. The energy bill provides tens of billions of dollars to the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries, significantly weakens environmental protections like the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and undermines consumer protections. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted YES. Ben Chandler voted NO.

On July 28, 2005, the House narrowly voted, 217 - 215, to send the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) bill to the president for his signature. CAFTA is a flawed model that expands the privileges of global corporations at the expense of working families and the environment. CAFTA's environmental provisions are weak, unenforceable, full of loopholes, and a step backwards from previous trade agreements. They do not mandate any improvement of environmental standards in Central America, and even the United States Trade Representative has agreed that countries like Guatemala and Honduras lack even basic environmental protections. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted YES. Ben Chandler voted NO.

On June 23, 2005, the Senate once again failed to curb global warming and cut our dependence on oil by defeating an amendment by Senator Durbin (D-IL) with a vote of 28 to 67. The amendment would have raised the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks - the single biggest step the U.S could take to curb global warming, cut the country's dependence on oil, and save consumers money at the gas pump. It would have saved more oil than we currently import from the Persian Gulf and could ever extract from the Arctic Refuge and California Shelf, combined. Congress first enacted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards in 1975 in response to the oil embargo. CAFE standards have proven to be the most successful energy saving provision ever passed by Congress, cutting our oil dependence by nearly 3 million barrels per day. Yet, under the original law, light trucks were held to a lower fuel economy standard than cars. As SUVs and other light trucks sales have grown over the last decade, they have caused the overall fuel economy of our new cars, trucks, and SUVs to fall. In 2003, the average fuel economy of new vehicles sold fell to a 23 year low. Now more than ever, we need to cut our oil dependence, curb global warming, and save consumers money at the gas pump. Making our vehicles go farther on a gallon of gas isn't rocket science, its just good engineering. Innovative technologies, like hybrid engines, smarter transmissions, and sleeker aerodynamics are in some vehicles today, but should be in all. Instead of using these technologies to protect our environment and save oil, Detroit and the other automakers are failing the environment and consumers.A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On June 16, 2005, the Senate passed an amendment, by a vote of 52 - 48, that encourages use of renewable sources of energy. The current energy bill (H.R. 6), continues America's reliance on dirty fossil fuels and dangerous nuclear power, putting Americans, the environment, and the national economy at risk. The Bingaman amendment establishes a Renewable Portfolio Standard, which would insure 10 percent of the nation's electricity would come from clean, renewable sources, by 2020. Renewable energy would reduce air and water pollution, spur economic growth, and save consumers money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA), a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 10 percent would have virtually no impact on electricity prices and could save consumers as much as $13.2 billion. Renewable portfolio standards have already been adopted in 19 states and have been widely successful in spurring the development of clean, renewable energy. A national standard would accelerate this growth and make the United States a world leader in clean, renewable energy. A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On June 16, 2005, the Senate voted, 47 - 53, against reducing America's oil consumption. America's oil dependence threatens our environments, weakens our national security, and hurts consumers at the pump. Despite these costs, the Energy Bill, HR 6, would do nothing to lessen America's dependence on oil. To curb this dependence, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) offered an amendment calling on the President to take steps to reduce US oil consumption by 7.64 million barrels of oil per day by 2025, which is a 40% reduction in our imports of foreign oil. The language of the amendment does not specify where and how oil can be saved, so the target can be reached through conservation or efficiency in industry, transportation, or electrical generation. Because the Senate cannot force the President to take action, this amendment was nonbinding. However, this did not stop the Republican leadership from strongly opposing the amendment, forcing it down on a mostly party-line vote. Their effort shows that the Republican leadership is uninterested in reducing the cost of gasoline, curbing greenhouse gas pollution, and furthering America's oil independence. A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On April 21, 2005, the House of Representatives passed an energy bill, by a vote of 249 - 183, that earmarks billions of dollars for the oil, gas and nuclear industries, permits drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and grants manufacturers of the gasoline additive MTBE protection from litigation. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the bill is "anti-consumer, anti-taxpayer and anti-environment" and called the MTBE provisions "disgraceful." The bill grants MTBE manufacturers safe harbor from litigation based on contamination of drinking water supplies, contains language phasing out use of the oxygenate by 2014 and gives MTBE manufacturers $1.75 billion for transition costs. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted YES. Ben Chandler voted NO.

On April 21, 2005, the House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of 254 - 177, an amendment (H.AMDT.73) to H.R.6 offered by Rep Boehlert, Sherwood [NY-24] that sought to direct the Secretary of Transportation to increase fuel economy standards from today's average of 25 miles/gallon to 33 miles/gallon over 10 years (by 2015), consistent with the findings of the National Academy of Sciences, in order to save 10% of the gasoline the nation would otherwise consume by 2015. The amendment also directs the Secretary to maximize job retention in the American auto manufacturing sector and to prevent taking actions that would reduce safety. A YES vote (for the amendment) was the pro-environment vote. All of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, Anne Northup, and Ben Chandler, voted NO.

On April 21, 2005, the House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of 225 - 204, an amendment (H.AMDT.84) to H.R.6 offered by Tom Udall (NM) that would have removed language that would provide $30 million in subsidies to open up areas in northwestern New Mexico to future uranium mining. The funding would allow firms to experiment with what Udall calls "controversial and unproven in-situ leach mining technology, which could threaten the scarce groundwater resources for residents of Crownpoint and Church Rock, New Mexico." A YES vote (to remove the language) was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted NO. Ben Chandler voted YES.

On April 20, 2005, the House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of 231 - 200, an amendment (H.AMDT.72) to H.R.6 offered by Rep. Edward J. Markey that would have removed the provisions that will allow oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A YES vote (to remove the provisions) was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted NO. Ben Chandler voted YES.

On April 20, 2005, the House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of 262 - 166, an amendment (H.AMDT.79) to H.R.6 offered by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (CA) that would have required that the Administration take "voluntary, regulatory, and other actions" to reduce oil demand in the U.S. by 1 million barrels per day from projected levels by 2013. A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. All of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, Anne Northup, and Ben Chandler, voted NO.

On April 20, 2005, the House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of  259 - 170, an amendment (H.AMDT.76) to H.R.6 offered by Rep. Timothy H. Bishop (NY) that sought to include a number of provisions designed to reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy sources, including increasing energy efficiency standards, and eliminating special interest subsidies and instead investing those resources in new technology with the idea of creating a better energy future. A YES vote was the pro-environment vote. Five of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, & Anne Northup, voted NO. Ben Chandler voted YES.

On March 16, 2005, an effort spearheaded by Senate Democrats to save Amtrak's federal subsidy failed by a vote of 46 - 52. Bush's budget, submitted in February, provides no funding for Amtrak, a move that the administration and its critics say will probably drive the corporation into bankruptcy by the next fiscal year. The Senate voted against an amendment offered by Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia to restore $1 billion in Amtrak subsidies to next year's budget. Sen. Collins (D-Maine) said that trains are a ''critical part" of the East Coast transportation system and that the railroad ''benefits our environment by reducing harmful emissions." Amtrak carried about 25 million passengers last year. The Bush administration wants to drive the railroad into insolvency and start from scratch with what it says will be a more rational system of short routes run by the states. In remarks on the Senate floor before the vote, Sen. Kennedy called the Bush plan a cynical attempt to kill Amtrak and said the states ''don't have the resources to acquire and operate the system." Kennedy said that the United States spends far less on rail service than other developed countries, including Japan and Germany, which spend about 20 percent of their national transportation budget on trains, compared with the 2 percent Amtrak has requested. A YES vote (to preserve Amtrak) was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On March 16, 2005, the Senate endorsed oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge today, giving President Bush and others who favor exploration of the Alaska wilderness a major victory. The 51-to-49 vote was in favor of a budget resolution that assumes revenues of some $5 billion from drilling fees over the next decade, with the federal government and the state of Alaska to split the money. While this afternoon's vote is not the final word on the issue, it nevertheless made drilling in the wilds of Alaska - an idea favored by the oil industry and fiercely opposed by environmental groups - far more likely than before. For drilling to take place, the Senate will later have to pass a measure explicitly authorizing the opening of the wildlife refuge to drilling, something that until now has been prohibited. Then the House of Representatives would have to explicitly authorize drilling as well. But the Senate has long been the biggest obstacle, since opponents have used the chamber's parliamentary devices - notably, the threat of a filibuster, a stalling tactic that requires 60 of the Senate's 100 votes to overcome - to frustrate proponents of drilling. The vote came on an amendment sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington. It would have removed language in the budget resolution for 2006 that assumes that drilling will take place. A YES vote (to remove language from the budget resolution calling for drilling to occur) was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

On February 17, 2005, the House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 279 to 149, a bill that requires class-action lawsuits be heard in federal court, rather than in state courts, when more than $5 million is at stake and fewer than one-third of the plaintiffs are from the same state as the primary defendant. Joan Claybrook, president of the nongovernmental advocacy group Public Citizen, said the bill takes away power from the states – a criticism shared by most state attorneys general - and means most class action suits will not be heard in either state or federal courts. The legislation gives "banks, banks, credit card companies, insurers, HMOs, drug manufacturers and other big corporations a green light to defraud and deceive consumers without fear of being held accountable," she said. Environmentalists echo those fears and say the bill is unfair to citizens who band together in class action suits to seek damages from corporate polluters who violate state environmental or public health laws. "It would allow polluters to attempt to remove cases involving toxic spills and other public health and environmental harms from the state courts in which they have been filed, and force them into federal courts that are often many hundreds of miles from where the harm took place," says James Cox, legislative counsel for the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice. "By seeking to deny victims their choice of forum, it rewards the polluters who caused the harm." Cox’s firm, along with 15 other national environmental groups, sent lawmakers a letter warning that class action suits against manufacturers of the gasoline additive MTBE, which has fouled drinking water in at least 35 states, could be jeopardized by the legislation. The bill could also force removal to federal court of "mass action" cases not filed as class action suits, according to Earthjustice, such as the recently concluded trial in Alabama state court over PCB contamination by Monsanto and Solutia. The legislation "would reward polluters by giving them a powerful tool with which to delay cleanup and the payment of medical costs to those they have hurt," Cox said. "And justice delayed is justice denied." A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. All of Kentucky's Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, Geoff Davis, Anne Northup, and Ben Chandler, voted YES.

On February 10, 2005, the Senate passed, by a vote of 72 to 26, a bill that requires class-action lawsuits be heard in federal court, rather than in state courts, when more than $5 million is at stake and fewer than one-third of the plaintiffs are from the same state as the primary defendant. Joan Claybrook, president of the nongovernmental advocacy group Public Citizen, said the bill takes away power from the states – a criticism shared by most state attorneys general - and means most class action suits will not be heard in either state or federal courts. The legislation gives "banks, banks, credit card companies, insurers, HMOs, drug manufacturers and other big corporations a green light to defraud and deceive consumers without fear of being held accountable," she said. Environmentalists echo those fears and say the bill is unfair to citizens who band together in class action suits to seek damages from corporate polluters who violate state environmental or public health laws. "It would allow polluters to attempt to remove cases involving toxic spills and other public health and environmental harms from the state courts in which they have been filed, and force them into federal courts that are often many hundreds of miles from where the harm took place," says James Cox, legislative counsel for the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice. "By seeking to deny victims their choice of forum, it rewards the polluters who caused the harm." Cox’s firm, along with 15 other national environmental groups, sent lawmakers a letter warning that class action suits against manufacturers of the gasoline additive MTBE, which has fouled drinking water in at least 35 states, could be jeopardized by the legislation. The bill could also force removal to federal court of "mass action" cases not filed as class action suits, according to Earthjustice, such as the recently concluded trial in Alabama state court over PCB contamination by Monsanto and Solutia. The legislation "would reward polluters by giving them a powerful tool with which to delay cleanup and the payment of medical costs to those they have hurt," Cox said. "And justice delayed is justice denied." A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning, voted YES.

On January 4, 2005, House Republicans pushed through a significant change in the handling of ethics complaints over strong Democratic objections as the 109th Congress convened. The House, on a vote of 220 to 195, enacted a change that would effectively dismiss a complaint in the event of a deadlock in the ethics committee, which is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. Under the system instituted in 1997, if no action is taken on a complaint within 45 days, a preliminary investigation is started. The new approach will require an affirmative vote by the panel to begin an investigation, meaning at least one committee member belonging to the same party as the lawmaker at the center of the complaint would have to join in backing an inquiry or the complaint would die (so much for ethics in the House of Representatives!!!). Four Kentucky Representatives, Ron Lewis, Hal Rogers, Ed Whitfield, and Geoff Davis (his first vote . . . heckuva start for the old Congressional career), voted YES to enact the new rule and reduce the chances that an ethics complaints will ever see the light of day. One Kentucky Representative, Ben Chandler, voted NO. Anne Northup did not vote.

Call, write, or e-mail your Senators & Representative about their pro- or
anti-environment votes on these issues. Click here for addresses, phone numbers, & e-mail addresses.

President Bush & the Environment

Bush Greenwatch

Keeping Tabs on George W. Bush

NRDC Environment Watch: The Bush Record

For information about important environmental issues (some of which
are being or will soon be considered by Congress), click on the following:

Kentucky State Legislature & Environmental Information:

Kentucky Legislature: Finding and Contacting Your Legislators

Money in Kentucky Legislative and Statewide Elections

Kentucky Environmental News

Kentucky Legislature Home Page

Kentucky Conservation Committee

Homepage of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet

Kentucky Environmental Hotline:
Information about Community-specific Environmental Information

Check out the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission's website!

Who are the top polluters in your part of Kentucky?
Check out Scorecard.org!

EPA's Toxics Release Inventory Program:
Found Out About Toxic Releases in Your Neighborhood

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