Kentucky Ornithological Society

KOS Action!
Voting Summaries 2001 - 2002 (107th Congress)

Kentucky's Delegation to the U.S. Senate

PRO = Pro-environment vote & ANTI = Anti-environment vote

6 - On February 12, 2002, the Senate voted 55 - 45 to table an amendment (S. AMDT. 2533) to Senate Bill 1731 (Farm Bill) "to strike the water conservation program." By tabling this amendment, the Senate upheld a section of the new, five-year farm bill that links the Endangered Species Act to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Under the provisions of the CRP,
  farmers receive compensation for taking land out of production to promote habitat recovery. YES was the pro-environment vote. Both Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell voted NO.

7- On March 13, 2002, the Senate approved S. AMDT. 2997 by a vote of 62 - 38. As a result, the Bush administration now has responsibility for setting new automotive fuel economy standards, effectively killing a rival measure that would have implemented tough new gas mileage requirements by 2015. The amendment, sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.), was backed by the auto industry. The rival amendment, sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), would have increased fuel economy standards for the nation's automotive fleet from 24 miles per gallon to 36 miles per gallon by 2015. A NO vote was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

8 - On March 13, 2002, the Senate approved, by a vote of 56 - 44, an amendment (S. AMDT. 2998) by Zell Miller (D-GA) to exempt pickup trucks from any higher mileage rules the safety administration might recommend. A NO vote was the
           pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

9 - On March 14, 2002, the Senate rejected a proposed renewable energy standard that would have required that 20 percent of the nation's electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. The standard was proposed in an amendment written by Senator Jim Jeffords, the Vermont Independent who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The measure would have required an increasing percentage of the nation's energy be derived from sources including biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, solar and wind energy. In a 70 to 29 vote, the Senate rejected Jeffords' amendment (S. AMDT. 3017), which was intended to reduce the nation's dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Renewable power sources other than hydropower now provide about two percent of the nation's electricity. Under Jeffords' plan, beginning this year, electricity suppliers would have been issued renewable energy credits for each kilowatt-hour of electric energy produced using renewable energy sources. Suppliers could begin to bank these credits toward the first year that the renewable standard would kick in: 2005. From 2005 to 2009, suppliers would have to turn in credits equal to five percent of the total amount of kilowatt-hours of electricity sold to consumers during the previous calendar year. From 2010 to 2014, that figure would have risen to 10 percent, then to 15 percent in 2015-2019, and finally to 20 percent in 2020 and subsequent years. The plan won support from the Department of Agriculture, because it would have boosted the use of biomass energy derived from agricultural products. YES was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

10 - On March 21, 2002, the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 - 58 an amendment (S. AMDT. 3038) to the Senate energy bill. The Senate Energy bill drafted by Senator Daschle (D-SD) and Senator Bingaman (D-NM) includes a national renewable portfolio standard of 10% by 2020 (that is, the bill requires that companies that provide electricity to the public to expand their use of renewable forms of energy like wind, solar and geothermal power as a partial replacement for oil, gas and coal). Senator Kyl (R-AZ) proposed an amendment to completely strip this modest renewable provision from the bill and replace it with a voluntary state program that would allow consumers to be charged  more for "green energy". American consumers would get no guarantee that even one additional kilowatt-hour of clean renewable energy is generated. NO (a vote against the Kyl amendment & to support the use of renewable forms of energy) was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

11 - On April 10, 2002, the Senate failed to pass an amendment to the energy bill that would have cleaned up some of the dirty and secretive energy trading practices that contributed to the Enron scandal. The amendment, introduced by Senator Feinstein (D-CA), would have provided much-needed federal oversight of the kinds of energy trading that companies like Enron have used to manipulate markets and hurt consumers. The amendment was rejected 48-50. YES was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

12 - On April 18, 2002, the Senate rejected by a vote of 46 - 54 a proposal offered by Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Senate Democratic leadership prevailed in safeguarding this national treasure and native people who depend on it, despite heavy lobbying by the Bush administration and the oil industry. "Today's vote is a big victory for America's environment, and we're thrilled that a majority of the Senate stood up to save this spectacular landscape," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "It feels great to have won this vote to protect the Arctic Refuge, but the oil industry isn't finished with its attempt to destroy this natural treasure. The public said they want the Arctic Refuge protected for future generations, and their Senators heard them loud and clear." NO (to Invoke Cloture on Murkowski Amendment No.  3132) was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

13 - On April 24, 2002, Senator Nickles (R-OK) offered an amendment to weaken the enforcement provisions of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by lowering the cost cap to 1.5 cents instead of the current 3 cents in the bill. This would undermine the RPS by allowing utilities to pay the penalty instead of investing in new technologies. A motion to table the Nickles amendment failed by a vote of 38-59. YES was the pro-environmental vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted NO.

14 - On April 25, 2002, Senators Feinstein and Boxer offered an amendment to the Senate energy bill. This bill exempts renewable fuels and renewable fuel additives from federal and state product liability protections. Under the provision, polluters receive sweeping liability exemptions for damage to public health or  the environment resulting from renewable fuels and renewable fuel additives or their use in gasoline. The provision denies affected communities appropriate redress, eliminates an important disincentive to pollute, and creates a dangerous precedent for future environmental policy. The Boxer-Feinstein amendment would close this loophole by ensuring that renewable fuels are not subject to a lesser liability standard than other motor vehicle fuels or fuel additives. The motion to table the amendment passed 57-42. NO was the pro-environmental vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

15 - On April 25, 2002, Senator Harkin (D-IA) introduced an amendment that would weaken the 30% efficiency increase standard for residential air conditioners currently in the energy bill. Weakening these efficiency standards would result in $3.6 billion in higher electric bills by 2030 for consumers, an increase of 9 million metric tons in global warming pollution, and the need for 22 additional power plants. The Harkin amendment passed 52-47. NO was the pro-environmental vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

16 - On April 25, 2002, an amendment was introduced by Senators Carper (D-DE) and Specter (R-PA) that would reduce oil consumption by cars and light trucks by at least one million barrels (mbd) of oil every day by 2015. Cars and light trucks now consume 8 mbd, or 40 percent of the oil used in the U.S. By 2015, this amount is expected to jump to more than 10 mbd. By directing the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to save at least one million barrels of oil a day by 2015 -- as much as the U.S. currently imports from Iraq and Kuwait combined -- the Carper-Specter Amendment would ensure that this bill includes meaningful oil savings. The motion to table the Carper-Specter amendment passed 57-42. NO was the pro-environmental vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

17 - On July 9, 2002, the Senate caved to the powerful nuclear industry, voting to override Nevada's veto and approve the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. This risky proposal will not solve our nation's nuclear waste storage problem, and will needlessly expose millions of Americans to the threat of a nuclear accident. The motion to proceed with S.J.Res 34 passed the Senate 60-39. The pro-environmental vote was NO. Both of Kentucky's Senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, voted YES.

18 - On September 23, 2002, the Senate failed by a vote of 49 - 46 to cut off debate on the Craig-Domenici amendment and a related measure by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) to appropriate $850 million to cover emergency spending this summer on firefighting in western forests. The Bush administration's proposal and the Craig-Domenici amendment are aimed at reducing legal and administrative barriers to thinning underbrush and small trees, as well as commercially attractive old-growth trees. The plan would restructure rules that govern appeals of federal decision-making on logging in highly fire-prone areas -- particularly making "less cumbersome" the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which environmentalists see as a bedrock law. The Craig-Domenici amendment would prevent environmentalists and community activists from seeking court orders to temporarily block proposed logging and other fire-prevention programs in 10 million acres of national forests prone to wildfires. YES was the pro-environment vote. Both of Kentucky's Senators (Bunning and McConnell) voted NO.

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