democrt
<div>hope:</div><div><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">2. Running Clean Works: </strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">NRDC Action Fund </span><a href="http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/runningclean/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(67, 146, 65); transition: color 0.2s linear; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">research</a><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> has confirmed that candidates who campaign on clean energy and climate action from the beginning win—including Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) in 2012 to Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) in 2014. Clean energy provides a positive, solutions-based narrative to talk about issues that matter most to Americans: jobs, the economy and the health of their families.</span></div><div>
<div>stray on epa 3/15</div><div>
</div><div><div class="entry-content" style="margin: 5px 0px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(33, 43, 74); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Article" itemref="comments" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><div itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">The word “science” is having an existential crisis in Washington.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Two bills passed by the House last week that would redefine how the EPA considers science, and what science it can consider, have attracted huge interest from big EPA-regulated industries that have shown a preference for contributing to GOP campaigns — and to the handful of Democrats who voted with the Republicans.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">The legislation puts big money industries and scientists on opposite sides of the ring. The big agriculture, oil, utility and other corporations say they want transparency and independent thinking in the EPA, while scientists say just the opposite will result if the measures are made law.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">“House leaders and their allies in industry don’t like the answers science is giving,” said Andrew Rosenberg, the director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/house-passes-bills-attacking-science-0480#.VQsyOdLF_AM" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">in a statement</a>. “The titles and text of these bills are cleverly designed to conceal their purpose, which is to protect industry from any oversight and any limits on their ability to pollute.”</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">One bill would affect the membership and operation of EPA’s Science Advisory Board. The board exists to give the agency scientific advice on potential regulations. Supporters of the<a href="https://science.house.gov/press-release/house-passes-bipartisan-bill-promote-scientific-integrity-epa" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"> bill</a>, who argue that EPA has a habit of twisting science around for whatever purpose it sees fit, say the changes will make the board more well-rounded and more transparent. Opponents, <a href="http://democrats.science.house.gov/sites/democrats.science.house.gov/files/documents/Letter%20opposing%20EPA%20SAB%20Reform%20Act%20HR%201422%20.pdf" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">including the Union of Concerned Scientists</a>, criticize the bill for permitting employees of the industries being regulated to be on the board; for requiring extensive public hearings that they say would create an undue burden on the process (though EPA is already required to do that separately); and for barring some of the most knowledgeable scientists from evaluating issues if their own work is involved.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">The other, the Secret Science Reform Act would keep EPA from writing regulations based upon science that isn’t <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/environment/2015/03/house-approves-epa-secret-science-bills-despite-white-house-veto-threat" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">made available to the public</a>. Supporters want the process to be more inclusive and open. Opponents say that it’s more complicated: Sometimes supporting science is based on sensitive information that can’t be made public, for example, and some scientific information is copyrighted and can’t be widely disseminated easily and at no cost.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">As OpenSecrets Blog <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/11/breaking-party-ranks-on-epa-science-vote/" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">reported last year</a> when the advisory board bill passed the House in the last Congress, heavyweight industries — including <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=E01" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">oil and gas</a>,<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=N13" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">chemical companies</a>, and<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?cycle=2014&ind=A07" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"> big ag</a> — flexed their D.C. muscles in support of that bill. A near-party line vote sent the legislation along to the Senate, and there were clear links between the handful of Democrats that strayed over and voted with House Republicans on the bill and those interest groups.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Just one of the Democrats that strayed from the party four months ago returned to serve in the 114th Congress. Rep. <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00004558&cycle=2014" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Collin Peterson</a> (D-Minn.), now the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, receives a lot of cash from major players in agriculture. In the 2014 cycle, he took in $344,150 from the crop production industry and $160,250 from agricultural services and products. His top two donors were two big agriculture companies: <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000055" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Monsanto</a> and <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000219" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">American Crystal Sugar</a>, which each gave $22,250 (Monsanto lobbyists pitched in another $4,000).</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">One other Democrat joined Peterson and Republicans this year on that bill, freshman Rep. <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/summary.php?cid=N00005293&year=2013" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Brad Ashford</a> of Nebraska. Ashford’s top industries don’t pop out as ones that would be interested in the advisory board bill (and, in fact, his <a href="http://atr.rollcall.com/brad-ashford-staff-fundraising-vulnerable/" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">enthusiasm for fundraising</a> appears low), but his personal finances tell a different story. His largest asset by far in 2013, the most recent year for which information is available, was a stake in oil and gas producer <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000024095&year=2010" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Apache Corp.</a> totaling between $1.1 million and $5.2 million (lawmakers are required to list their holdings only in ranges on personal financial disclosure forms).</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Interest in the ‘<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/billsum.php?id=hr4012-113" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">secret science’ bill last year</a> came mostly from a similar set of industries — plus <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=E08" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">electric utilities</a>, according to lobbying reports; the utilities also favor the GOP with their contributions, although not so lopsidedly as oil and gas does.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Four Democrats jumped ship on the ‘secret science’ bill this year to vote with Republicans, including Ashford and Peterson. The other two, Reps. <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?type=C&cid=N00024978&newMem=N&cycle=2014" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Henry Cuellar</a>(D-Texas) and <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00026341&cycle=2014" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Jim Costa</a> (D-Calif.), both had strong support from the industries that lobbied on the science bills as well.</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Cuellar received $127,200 from the oil and gas industry last cycle, making it his top industry overall. Crop production made a showing as well (No. 6 with $45,850), as did electric utilities (No. 11, giving $26,800). <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000303" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Conoco Phillips</a> was his fifth biggest donor ($10,750, and lobbyists for the company gave another $500), and American Crystal Sugar was No. 6 ($10,000).</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">Costa also got a lot of love from agriculture (his No. 1 at $228,950), oil and gas (No. 2 giving $101,999 — despite being an industry that doesn’t exist in his district at all), and electric utilities (No. 10 at $35,500). American Crystal Sugar was his fourth most generous donor ($20,000), and <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000129" style="color: rgb(17, 123, 184); text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Exxon</a> was his seventh ($15,000).</p><p style="padding: 5px 0px; margin: 5px 0px;">The latest go-round is a case of deja vu all over again in Congress, as both bills passed the House last year and were sent to the Senate, where they died when the Democrats were in the majority. The outcome could be different this year, though Republicans are still a handful of votes shy of the 60 they’d need for cloture. Even then, it might not matter: The Obama Administration promptly issued veto threats as the bills headed to the Senate.</p></div></div></div><footer class="entry-meta" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">
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