1989 Scorecard Vote
On November 9th, under rules that allow the House to vote a second time on amendments agreed to during floor consideration by the committee of the whole House, the vote on Rep. Miller's amendment was reversed by a vote of 185-197. Yes is the pro-environment vote. Eight members changed their votes overnight. Forty members were absent when the House voted again to undo the progress of the day before. The effect of this vote is to set in U.S. Oil Spill Liability law for the first time the gross negligence and willful misconduct test. This means that oil companies and shipping companies can use less care in the production and shipment of oil and still be protected from having to pay the full clean-up cost of their spills. The taxpayers and the environment will bear the burden of clean-up.
pro-environment position