2012 Scorecard Vote
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) offered an amendment to S. 1813, the Senate transportation bill titled the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which would extend critical incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency aimed at creating clean energy jobs and reducing America's dependence on foreign oil. The amendment would extend several incentives that are particularly important to the wind industry, including the Production and Investment Tax Credits, the Section 1603 Treasury Department Program, and the Section 48C Manufacturing Tax Credit. It would further extend the efficient existing and new homes tax credit and the efficient appliances tax credit. Although the package also included some incentives for harmful fuels, including coal-to-liquids that threaten the environment and exacerbate global warming, it was, on balance, an important step forward for the nation's clean energy economy. On March 13, the Senate rejected the Stabenow amendment by a vote of 49-49 (Senate roll call vote 39). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. Many of the energy incentives included in the Stabenow amendment were extended until the end of 2013 as part of H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, legislation to address the "fiscal cliff," which President Obama signed into law on January 2, 2013.
pro-environment position