2024: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Prohibiting Funding For The American
Climate Corps In The FY 2025 Energy-Water Appropriations. In July
2024, Fitzpatrick voted against , according to Congressional Quarterly,
"amendment no. 36 that would prohibit the use of funds provided by the
bill for the American Climate Corps." The vote was on the amendment. The
underlying legislation was the FY 2025 Energy-Water appropriations. The
House adopted the amendment by a vote of 199 to 197. [House Vote 363,
7/23/24; Congressional
Quarterly, 7/23/24;
Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.1099;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
8997]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against An Amendment To The FY 2020
Intelligence Appropriations Bill That Blocked The Establishment Of A
Climate Security Advisory Council. In July 2019, Fitzpatrick voted
against an amendment that would, according to Congressional Quarterly,
"strike from the bill a provision that would establish a climate
security council under the Office of the Director if National
Intelligence." The vote was on adoption. The House rejected the
amendment by a vote of 178-255. [House Vote 490,
7/17/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 7/17/19;
Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.571;
Congressional Actions,
H.R.3494]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against An Amendment To The FY 2020 Minibus
That Prohibited Funds From Being Used For Contributions To International
Climate Change Conventions. In June 2019, Fitzpatrick voted against an
amendment that would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "clarify
that no funds made available by the bill may be used for contributions
on behalf of the U.S. to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the Green Climate
Fund." The vote was on adoption of the amendment. The House rejected the
amendment by a vote of 174-244. [House Vote 327,
6/18/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 6/18/19;
Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.343;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
2740]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted To Prevent The U.S. From Withdrawing From The
Paris Climate Agreement And To Require The President Create A Plan To
Meet The Agreement's Obligation. In May 2019, Fitzpatrick voted for
the Climate Action Now Act. According to Congressional Quarterly,
"[p]assage of the bill, as amended, that would prohibit the use of
federal funds for U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate
change and would require the president to develop a plan for the United
States to meet its nationally determined contribution under the accord.
Specifically, it would require the plan to describe how the U.S. will
meet, by 2025, its proposed goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to
26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels. It would also require the plan to
describe how the U.S. will confirm that other major parties to the
accord are fulfilling their proposed contributions. The bill would
require the plan to be submitted to Congress and made public no later
than 120 days after enactment and to be updated annually. As amended,
the bill would require the plan to describe how the U.S. can assist
other parties in fulfilling contributions to the accord; require a
public comment period on the plan and on subsequent updates to the plan;
and order a number of reports on the impacts of the Paris Agreement on
clean energy job development, the U.S. economy, and U.S. territories."
The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 231 to
190. [House Vote 184,
5/2/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 5/2/19; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
9]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Allowing Federal Funds To Be Used To
Exit The Climate Paris Agreement. In May 2019, Fitzpatrick voted
against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional
Quarterly, "remove[d] from the bill a section that would prohibit any
federal funds from being used to facilitate the withdrawal of the United
States from the Paris Agreement." The underlying legislation would have
prevented the U.S. from withdrawing the Paris Climate Agreement. The
House rejected the amendment by a vote of 189 to 234. [House Vote 177,
5/2/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 5/2/19; Congressional
Actions, H. Amdt.
178;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
9]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Stating That The Paris Climate
Agreement Is A Treaty And Needs To Be Ratified By The Senate. In May
2019, Fitzpatrick voted against an amendment that would have, according
to Congressional Quarterly, "state[d] that the Paris Agreement is a
treaty and state that no further action toward its goals should occur
before the Senate ratifies the agreement." The underlying legislation
would have prevented the U.S. from withdrawing the Paris Climate
Agreement. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 189 to 234.
[House Vote 176, 5/2/19;
Congressional Quarterly, 5/2/19;
Congressional Actions, H. Amdt.
177;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
9]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Funding The Select Committee On The
Climate Crisis. In February 2019, Fitzpatrick voted against a motion
to order the previous question on a rule that would have, according to
Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] for House floor consideration of
the bill that would make permanent and expand a Veterans Affairs
Department program that provides child care assistance to veterans while
they are receiving certain VA health care services (HR 840), and that
would provide for the automatic agreement in the House to a resolution
(H Res 86) that would provide $70,000 for the Select Committee on the
Climate Crisis and $50,000 for the Select Committee on the
Modernization of Congress to cover expenses through March 31, 2019. It
would also provide for motions to suspend the rules through the
legislative day of Feb. 15, 2019." The vote was on a motion to order the
previous question. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 227 to
189. [House Vote 68,
2/7/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 2/7/19; Congressional
Actions, H. Res.
86;
Congressional Actions, H. Res.
105]
2017: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Federal Rules Or Studies That Use "The
Social Cost Of Carbon." In September 2017, Fitzpatrick voted against
an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly,
"prohibit[ed] the use of funds appropriated by the bill to implement
any rules or regulations that rely on certain studies related to the
'social cost of carbon.' The underlying legislation was a legislative
vehicle for an FY 2018 Omnibus appropriations bill. The House adopted
the amendment by a vote of 225 to 186. The House later passed the
overall bill. The Senate took no substantive action on the overall
legislation. [House Vote 489,
9/13/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 9/13/17; Congressional
Actions, H. Amdt.
369;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
3354]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted For Protecting Tribal Coastal Areas From The
Effects Of Climate-Change. In December 2019, Fitzpatrick voted for a
bill that would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "authorize or
reauthorize a number of Commerce and Interior department programs and
activities related to coastal community development and climate change
adaptation." The vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and pass the
bill. The House passed the bill by a vote of 319-96. The bill was later
passed by the Senate and signed by the President to become law. [House
Vote 667, 12/10/19;
Congressional Quarterly,
12/10/19; Congressional
Actions,
H.R.729]
The Bill Authorized More Money To Protect Coasts From The Effects
Of Climate Change. According to Bloomberg Environment, "The House
passed a 10-bill legislative package on Dec. 10 to authorize more
money to protect coasts from the consequences of climate change,
including hundreds of millions of dollars to promote 'living'
shorelines to combat coastal erosion [...] [it] would expand
programs helping communities protect eroded coastlines and declining
fisheries, most of which are managed by the Commerce Department's
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration." [Bloomberg
Environment,
12/10/19]
Rep. Jim McGovern: Communities Who Live Along The Coast Are
"Especially At Risk For Climate-Related Disasters." According to
Congressional Quarterly, "[Rep. Jim] McGovern said that the more
than 126 million Americans who live along the coast are 'especially
at risk for climate-related disasters,' including flooding, sea
level rise and coastal erosion. 'In January this year, we saw the
first Native American tribe forced to completely resettle due to
climate fueled flooding and erosion' he said. 'If we do nothing,
they won't be the last.'" [Congressional Quarterly,
12/9/19]
Republicans Opposed The Bill, Stating That The New Provisions
Would Only Duplicate Existing Efforts. According to Bloomberg
Environmental, "Republicans said the new authorizations would
duplicate existing efforts and could harm current programs [...]
[Rep. Garret Graves] added that Congress should focus on the
management and implementation of the programs, not 'put bows around
a lot of things that are largely already happening.'" [Bloomberg
Environment,
12/10/19]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted To State That The Paris Climate Agreement Says
That Climate Justice Should Be Considered. In May 2019, Fitzpatrick
voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional
Quarterly, "state[d] that the Paris Agreement urges parties to
consider 'climate justice' and the impacts of climate change on local
communities, migrants, children, and other 'people in vulnerable
situations.'" The underlying legislation would have prevented the U.S.
from withdrawing the Paris Climate Agreement. The House adopted the
amendment by a vote of 231 to 190. The House later passed the underlying
legislation. [House Vote 175,
5/2/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 5/2/19; Congressional
Actions, H. Amdt.
169;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
9]
2021: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Providing Over $3 Billion To Address
Climate Change, Including $1.6 Billion For A Green Climate Fund. In
July 2021, Fitzpatrick voted against the Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2022 which would,
according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide $4.6 billion for global
health programs, including $760 million for family planning and
reproductive health programs. It would provide over $3 billion to
address climate change and other environmental issues, including $1.6
billion for a multilateral Green Climate Fund to help developing
countries address climate change, $269 million for renewable energy
programs, and $125 million to combat wildlife trafficking." The vote
was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 217-212, thus the
bill was sent to the Senate. The bill ultimately became law. [House
Vote 243, 7/28/21;
Congressional Quarterly,
7/28/21; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
4373]
2023: Fitzpatrick Voted For An Amendment That Would Have Affirmed That
Communities Of Color And Low-Income Communities Face The Greatest
Climate Change And Greenhouse Gas Emission Impacts. In January 2023,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for an amendment
to the Strategic Production Response Act, which would "specify that the
bill may not be construed to deny that communities of color and
low-wealth communities 'face the greatest harms due to climate change
and greenhouse gas emissions.'" The vote was on the adoption of an
amendment. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 211 to 217.
[House Vote 62, 1/27/23;
Congressional Quarterly,
1/27/23; Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.
38;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
21]
2021: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Providing Tax Credits To Incentivize
Climate Change Mitigation Practices, Including Credits For Renewable
Energy And Carbon Capture Facilities, Alternative Fuel Usage And Energy
Efficiency Upgrades At Residential Properties, And Establishing Electric
Vehicle Purchase Credits. In November 2021, Fitzpatrick voted against
the Build Back Better act which would, according to Congressional
Quarterly, "establish or expand a number of tax credits to incentivize
actions by businesses and individuals to mitigate climate change,
including to expand credits for renewable energy production and
facilities, carbon capture facilities, use of alternative fuels and
energy efficiency improvements at residential properties; and to
establish individual credits for the purchase of electric vehicles." The
vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 220-213.
[House Vote 385,
11/19/21; Congressional
Quarterly, 11/19/21;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
5376]
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted Against An Amendment To The FY 2020 Minibus
That Prohibited Funds From Being Used For Payments Under The Paris
Climate Agreement. In June 2019, Fitzpatrick voted against an
amendment that would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "strike from
the bill provisions allowing funds provided by the bill to be used for
payments under the Paris Climate Agreement and prohibiting such funds to
be used for U.S. withdrawal from the agreement." The vote was on
adoption of the amendment. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of
184-241. [House Vote 336,
6/18/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 6/18/19;
Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.352;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
2740]
2023: Fitzpatrick Voted Against Repealing Several Climate-Related And
Energy Efficiency Programs And Provisions Established By The Inflation
Reduction Act. In March 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly,
Fitzpatrick voted against the Lower Energy Costs Act, which would
"repeal certain climate-related programs established by the 2022 budget
reconciliation package, including the $27 billion 'Greenhouse Gas
Reduction' fund to support low- and zero-carbon projects, a program
imposing fees on methane emissions from oil and gas drilling sites on
federal lands, and energy rebate programs to incentivize
energy-efficient homes and buildings." The vote was on passage. The
House passed the bill by a vote of 225 to 204, thus the bill was sent to
the Senate for their consideration. [House Vote 182,
3/30/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/30/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1]
The Bill Would Repeal A $4.5 Billion Home Electrification Rebate
Program, An EPA Program That Would Support Emission-Reduction
Efforts Through National Green Banking, And A Methane That Would
Charge Fossil Fuel Companies For Emitting Potent Greenhouse Gases.
According to Congressional Quarterly, "Central in the bill is
language that would repeal several climate programs in the 2022
climate, health and tax law (PL 117-169), including a $4.5 billion
home electrification rebate program, an EPA program to build out
national green banking to support emission-reduction efforts and a
methane program that would charge fossil energy companies for
emitting the highly potent greenhouse gas." [Congressional
Quarterly, 3/30/23]
The Bill Sought To Repeal A $27 Billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund That Boosts Clean Energy And Repeal A Fee On Oil And Gas
Methane Emissions. According to Politico, "First, they sought to
deliver a blow against Biden by repealing provisions of Democrats'
Inflation Reduction Act, such as the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas
Reduction Fund to boost clean energy and a fee imposed on oil and
gas methane emissions." [Politico,
3/30/23]
The Bill Passed After The Intergovernmental Panel On Climate
Change Urged Action To Swiftly Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions And
End Burning Fossil Fuels To Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change.
According to Congressional Quarterly, "Passage comes a little more
than a week after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the
world's leading body of climate scientists, warned humanity must
work swiftly to slash greenhouse gas emissions and stop burning
fossil fuels to avert catastrophic rapid climate change."
[Congressional Quarterly,
3/30/23]