More on Zeldin’s Voting Record: Yes Votes*
2021 Taking Action on PFAS Contamination
Issue: Toxics/Public Right to Know
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan sponsored an amendment to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2022, which would require national regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), strengthened disclosure requirements for PFAS manufacturers, provided PFAS exposure training to Department of Defense (DoD) medical providers, and mandated DoD to comply with safe incineration standards for PFAS. PFAS, a toxic “forever chemical,” is present in hundreds of DoD installations across the country and can lead to serious and fatal health conditions such as high cholesterol, decreased vaccine response and various forms of cancer.
2021 Protecting People from PFAS
Issues: Toxics/Public Right to Know, Water
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, sponsored H.R. 2467, the PFAS Action Act of 2021, aimed at addressing the growing national PFAS crisis. H.R. 2467 would require the EPA to set a drinking-water standard for PFOA and PFOS within two years, designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances and air pollutants, set discharge limits of industrial releases of PFAS, prohibit unsafe incineration of PFAS wastes and require comprehensive PFAS health testing.
2019 Banning Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Issues: Dirty Energy, Drilling, Oceans
South Carolina Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham sponsored H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, which would prohibit drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The bill also included amendments establishing a moratorium on seismic blasting off the Atlantic coast and authorizing studies on the impacts of offshore drilling on coastal communities, including the economic risks to tourism, fishing, boating and other activities.
2019 Eliminating EPA's Chemical Hazard Assessment Program, IRIS
Issues: Toxics/Public Right to Know, Clean Water, Clean Air
Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, offered an amendment to H.R. 3055, an appropriations bill funding various government agencies, which would have eliminated funding for the EPA's program that evaluates the health and environmental hazards of chemicals, known as the Integrated Risk Information System. or IRIS. The EPA and state and local agencies rely on this program to help determine air and water pollution limits, waste site cleanup standards and other risk levels and regulatory actions.
2019 Preserving the Mercury & Air Toxics Standards
Issues: Clean Air, Toxics/Public Right to Know
Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington Democrat, offered an amendment to H.R. 3055, an appropriations bill funding various government agencies aimed at halting the Trump administration’s attempt to undermine the mercury and air toxics standards.
2018 Undermining Access to the Courts
Issue: Environmental Justice
Rep. Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, offered an amendment to H.R. 6147, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019, which limits the recovery of attorneys’ fees in citizen suits under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the amendment prohibits the recovery of legal fees for settlements in cases against the federal government. This change would remove critical incentives for citizen suit provisions and especially harm low-income communities that seek legal representation to enforce these environmental laws. The proposed changes also disincentivize the quick resolution of citizen suits, increasing litigation costs for both plaintiffs and the government.
2016 EPA Law Enforcement
Issue: Other
Alabama Republican Rep. Gary Palmer offered an amendment to H.R. 5538, the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, which would prohibit the use of funds for the EPA’s law enforcement and criminal investigations division, a move that would make it harder to hold polluters accountable for committing environmental crimes.
More on Zeldin’s Voting Record: No Votes*
2022 Transformational Climate Investments (Inflation Reduction Act)
Issues: Climate Change, Clean Energy, Clean Air, Environmental Justice
Chair John Yarmuth, Kentucky Democrat, moved that the House agree with the Senate amendment to H.R. 5376, known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, to invest roughly $369 billion in climate, clean energy, good jobs and environmental justice, marking the single largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. The bill incentivizes clean renewable energy, domestic manufacturing, clean vehicles, innovative technologies. This bill also included a $60 billion investment in environmental justice programs, including Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants, Clean Ports, Reconnecting Communities, Superfund tax reinstatement and a methane emissions fee and reductions. The bill also included provisions requiring oil and gas lease sales that, if successfully bid upon and subsequently approved for drilling, could subject frontline communities to further harm and are inconsistent with our climate and justice goals.
2022 Cracking Down on Oil Industry Price Gouging
Issues: Dirty Energy, Drilling
Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington Democrat, sponsored H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which included important protections for families struggling with high gas and home heating fuel prices. This legislation would crack down on oil and gas companies’ alleged price gouging by empowering the president to issue an emergency declaration that would make it illegal to charge excessive and exploitative prices for gasoline and home heating fuels. The bill would also empower the Federal Trade Commission to issue penalties to companies for price gouging, with enforcement priority placed on large oil companies with total sales in excess of $500 million per year.
2022 Investing in Science and Domestic Clean Energy Manufacturing
Issues: Clean Energy, Climate Change
Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat, sponsored H.R 4521, America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act, which included funding for the creation of a domestic supply chain for renewable energy materials, among many other science and technology provisions. Among many provisions, the legislation included $3 billion in grants for solar manufacturing facilities, $52 billion for semiconductor production in the United States and $5 billion for security and resilience programs for domestic supply chains. The bill also included funding for industrial decarbonization and emissions reductions, reduction in energy use in manufacturing and financial assistance to states and Native Nations to improve energy efficiency.
2021 Repealing Assault on Methane Pollution Safeguards
Issues: Climate Change, Dirty Energy
Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico sponsored S.J. Res. 14, the Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval of the EPA's rule to roll back the 2016 methane standards for new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry. According to the bill, the oil and gas industry is the largest source of industrial methane pollution. S.J. Res. 14 eliminated this rule and allowed the EPA to move quickly on stronger safeguards against methane pollution.
2020 Increasing Funding for Renewable Energy Research & Development
Issues: Clean Energy, Climate
Rep. Deb Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico, offered an amendment to H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which would increase authorizations by 50% for renewable energy research and development programs at the Department of Energy, including significant funding authorization boosts for research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Source: https://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/lee-zeldin
* Not an exhaustive list
