'Tis the season of big appropriations bills, to fund segments of the federal government – which means, in Washington, deal-making in the sticky July heat. Every member of Congress has items that could never pass on their own, that they'd like to slap on like sticky notes as the big-money legislation slides by.
Among those attempts last week were quite a few, including several brought by New England representatives, relating to the environment. And, because Republicans rule the House, most of the decisions went against environmentalists' wishes.
That was the case with a successful move by Republican Bruce Poliquin of Maine. On the House floor Tuesday, Poliquin proposed an amendment that, he says, will help a paper mill in his district that employs 800 people. According to Democrats, however, it will roll back environmental protections.
New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Poliquin said in his floor speech, impose excessive requirements on darker-burning biomass smoke, which would require the Sappi paper mill, among others, to spend millions of dollars on smokestack equipment.
“The EPA wants to impose stricter emission standards on companies that burn wet wood, branches, and bark instead of dumping them into a landfill,” he said. “That just doesn't make sense.”
Democrats, however, argue that Poliquin's amendment would impose a wide prohibition on the EPA enforcing standards on boilers and incinerators that release mercury, lead, dioxin, and other pollutants. Although they opposed it, they did not force a roll call vote, allowing the amendment to be adopted by voice vote.
Maine's Democratic congresswoman, Chellie Pingree, is sympathetic to the Sappi mill's argument, her spokesman tells me. But, the EPA's regional office in Boston has been working on a compromise solution. “I think there is a better way to address these issues than by tying the EPA's hands on enforcing these clean air regulations all across the country,” Pingree said in a statement.
On the same day, Niki Tsongas, of Massachusetts, also brought up an amendment to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for the 2016 fiscal year. Her attempt, though backed by Defenders of Wildlife and other environmental organizations.
Her Bats, Wolves, and Sage Grouse amendment lost in a mostly party-line vote. It was an attempt to reverse a move made by Republicans in the National Defense Authorization Act; they eliminated conservation protections for a number of threatened species, claiming that the regulations are interfering with readiness operations on military-owned land.
Tsongas also failed with an amendment intended to allow planning and management under the National Ocean Policy – implementation being blocked in the appropriations bill. Only five Republicans voted in favor, which perhaps did not surprise Tsongas much. In introducing the bill Tuesday, Tsongas took a jab at House conservatives: “Unfortunately, the weather is not all that has become more extreme over the past several years.”
Her losing battles continued on Thursday: thanks to her position on the Natural Resources Committee, Tsongas was tasked with leading the Democrats' floor debate on the Resilient Federal Forests Act. That bill, designed to streamline management of national forests, has raised concerns on the left that it will undermine public and judicial review. It passed, with 19 Democrats joining all but one Republican.
The Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, however, did not pass as expected last week: the bill was temporarily pulled back after a controversial last-minute attempt to add protections for the display of confederate flags at federal cemeteries.
Victories in defeat
When you're in the minority party, often the best you can do is get something good into a bill you're voting against. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed claimed such a victory in the Every Child Achieves Act, with an amendment that will “save and expand school libraries in every state in the nation,” according to the American Library Association.
Reed's bill authorizes school districts to use federal funds on school library programs.
Reproductive-rights advocates were applauding another victory-in-defeat last week, won by New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in the committee markup of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill – although this one may have a tough road making it into law.
Shaheen's amendment restored $35 million of funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which provides family planning and reproductive health services world-wide.
It also repeals the so-called Global Gag Rule, which prevents funding to organizations that perform abortions or advise women about abortion. The Gag Rule is currently not enforced, because of an executive order from President Barack Obama, but Shaheen's amendment would repeal the policy itself.
The changes were adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee, thanks to support from three moderate Republicans. It could face more resistance however from the full Senate, and even more in the House of Representatives.
Social media photo of the week
Congresswoman Ann Kuster of New Hampshire appeared to be having even more fun than the kids, in this photo she tweeted from her visit to Camp Spaulding, in Penacook.
