Democratic Climate Hall of Shame

The Senate is currently busying itself with its budget vote-a-rama, where they cast votes for a series of non-binding amendments to the budget in relative rapid-fire and with very little deliberation.  So far, we have seen four votes that teach us quite a lot about where our Senators stand on climate change.

KEYSTONE XL

Sen. Hoeven (R-ND)'s amendment approving the climate-busting Keystone XL pipeline passed 62-37 with 17 Democrats voting for it:  Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).

Barbara Boxer proposed an amendment to counter Sen. Hoeven's; Boxer's amendment would have required further study on the pipeline to protect U.S. national interests.  Her amendment failed 33-66.

The following 13 Democrats voted both for Hoeven's amendment and against Boxer's:

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR).

Four Democrats strangely voted for both amendments: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), and Sen. Mark Warner.

Six members of the Democratic caucus voted both against Hoeven's amendment and against Boxer's:

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Mo Cowan (D-MA), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Angus King (I-ME), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), and Sen. Tom Udall (D-CO).

What that means is that only 29 members of the Democratic caucus (28 Dems + Bernie) voted solidly against Keystone.

What is especially disappointing is to see three Senators who had been endorsed by the LCV vote for the pipeline: Casey (my own Senator), Nelson, and Tester.

Just over a year ago, the Senate voted on the pipeline, and it failed to pass 56-42 because it, thankfully, did not muster the 60 votes for cloture.   Five Democrats who opposed Keystone then now support it: Sen. Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Carper (D-DE), Sen. Coons (D-DE), Sen. Johnson (D-SD), and Sen. Nelson (D-FL).

CARBON TAX

As was the case for Keystone, we saw two votes related to a carbon tax: one for and one against.  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) proposed an amendment establishing a carbon tax; it failed 41-58.  Thirteen Democrats voted against it:

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), and Sen. Mark Warner.

Five of the Senators who supported Keystone also supported a carbon tax: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), and one Senator who opposed Keystone also opposed a carbon tax: Tim Kaine (D-VA).

Sen. Roy Blunt, on the other hand, proposed an amendment that would have required a 3/5 majority for the passage of a federal carbon tax.  This would have passed 53-46, had there not been a 60 vote threshold required.  Eight Democrats voted along with Blunt:

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV).

CLIMATE HALL OF SHAME

Seven Democrats voted consistently for the anti-environment position: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO),  and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR).

Four more Democrats belong in our CLIMATE HALL OF SHAME for voting both against the carbon tax and for Keystone: Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. John Tester (D-MT), and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).

CLIMATE HEROES

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

(I'm sure that Frank Lautenberg would have been on the climate hero list, too, had he been in attendance; unfortunately, he could not be at the vote because of illness).