It was a late Tuesday night for U.S. Representatives as they worked on the $32 billion Interior-EPA spending bill.
Forty-five amendments were handled by the time the gavel was sounded, according to a report from Politico’s Morning Energy Report.
One item that did pass was a move to clamp down on monitoring water quality in the areas affected by the EPA’s major mistake in the Gold King mine spill in southern Colorado. New Mexico Democrat Ben Ray Lujan sponsored the issue and it narrowly passed on a 219-207 vote with all five Oklahomans, Reps. Jim Bridenstine, Tom Cole, Steve Russell, Frank Lucas and Markwayne Mullin voting against it.
Here’s how the Morning Energy Report covered what happened:
The House plowed through the first 45 amendments to its $32 billion Interior-EPA spending bill Tuesday before they held a late-night vote. Most of the amendments lawmakers voted on after 10 p.m. were Democratic measures that were shot down. However, a couple of GOP amendments also failed after enough Republicans jumped ship, include one that would have stripped funding from EPA’s Air, Climate and Energy Research Program and another repealing a popular diesel grant program.
A few amendments passed via voice vote, including amendments blocking funds for EPA’s forthcoming Phase 2 truck rule, preventing Interior from moving forward with new financial assurance rules for offshore oil and gas outfits, and shifting money away from EPA to various fire and forestry programs. Lawmakers also approved by voice vote a measure from Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson requiring implementation of EPA’s coal ash rule follow a 1994 executive order on environmental justice.
The House then passed an additional 14 amendments mostly after midnight, including measures to defund the EPA’s intergovernmental affairs office and to prevent the EPA from grassroots advocacy campaigns (A reference to the EPA’s Thunderclap campaign for its Waters of the US rule). Roll call votes were requested on nine amendments, including one to defund Obama’s National Ocean Policy and another that would prevent the EPA from using its backstop authority in implementing the Chesapeake Bay clean up.
For those keeping track at home, that leaves 56 amendments for lawmakers to settle before final passage. As a reminder, given the timing of Congress’s summer recess and difficulty of passing appropriations bills, there’s a good chance none of this will get near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. More likely, Congress will pass a continuing resolution in September to get through the election.