2007 Scorecard Vote
Under a 2005 law, the Bureau of Land Management was forced to expedite a full-scale commercial leasing program for oil shale on Western public lands. Conservationists argued that the law doesn't allow the agency to thoroughly consider the program's impacts on natural resources or to find suitable alternatives.
During consideration of H.R. 2643, the Interior-Environment appropriations bill, Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced an amendment to delay the program's implementation by a year to better assess its environmental and economic impacts. The amendment was adopted by a 216-210 vote (House roll call vote 577) on June 27, 2007. YES is the pro-environment vote. While this appropriations bill was not enacted as a free-standing bill, the Udall provision was carried over into the fiscal year 2008 Omnibus appropriations legislation and was signed into law.
pro-environment position