Education

Educational Training

Nothing posted to date

Educational Funding

Nothing posted to date

Teaching Evolution/Intelligent Design

Nothing posted to date

Energy

Clean Coal Technology

During consideration of the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 (H.R. 6) in the Senate, two competing amendments regarding coal-to-liquid fuels were proposed. S. Amdt. 1628 would have provided a minimum standard in the amount of coal-to-liquid fuels to be used in "covered fuels" (aviation fuel, motor vehicle fuel, home heating oil, and boiler fuel) beginning in 2016. While the amendment mandated the clean coal fuel to emit 20% less life-cycle greenhouse gases than gasoline, opponents objected to the comparison of coal to liquid fuel as similar to gasoline. They argued that liquid fuels derived from coal are more similar to diesel-based fuel, and emit up to 150% more greenhouse gases than petroleum-based diesel fuel. S. Amdt. 1628 failed passage with a vote of 39-55. Senator Boxer voted against this amendment. The competing amendment, Amdt. 1614, would have provided up to $10 billion worth of loans for projects that reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal gasification (or other transformation processes) by at least 75% and ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are at least 20% below the conventional baseline. Challengers criticized the 75% sequestration requirement as too high and voiced concern that the loan money would end up disbursed to other projects (read the debate). S. Amdt. 1614 also was rejected, with a final tally of 33-61. Senator Boxer voted against this amendment.

Fuel Economy Standards

See discussion of H.R. 6 under the Renewable Energy section.

Nuclear Power

Nothing posted to date

Renewable Energy

After a lengthy debate in June of 2007, the Senate passed the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 (H.R. 6), which seeks to increase America’s energy independence through the development of renewable fuels and the fostering of energy efficiency. The legislation would mandate the use of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, require an increase in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 35 mpg by 2020, and establish a carbon capture and storage research program. Senator Boxer did not vote on the final version of H.R. 6, which passed with a vote of 65-27.

In the face of a veto threat from President Bush, the House passed the Senate version of H.R. 6 with amendments by a vote of 235-181 on December 6, 2007.The final Senate rendering of the bill, which passed with a vote of 86-8, still included language raising CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020. Senator Boxer voted for the revised version of this bill. The final version of the bill passed in the House with a vote of 314-100 and was signed into law by President Bush on December 19, 2007.

In a press release on the final Senate vote for H.R. 6, Senator Boxer said: "While it should have been a better and stronger bill with tax breaks for renewable energy and a requirement for electric utilities to use more solar, wind and geothermal energy, it is still a good first step toward a cleaner future for America."

During debate of the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 (H.R. 6), the Senate also passed S. Amdt. 1693. This amendment would revise the Clean Air Act to provide short-term and long-term studies on the effects of the increased use of renewable fuels on the environment. It also allows the administrator of the study to create regulations that would mitigate any negative effects on air quality that did occur as a result of the increased use of these fuels. The amendment passed with a vote of 58-34. Senator Boxer voted for S. Amdt. 1693. The amendment, however, did not make into the final version of H.R. 6, which was passed by the Senate on December 13, 2007.

Environment

As Chairwoman of the Senate Environment Committee, Boxer criticized Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for failing to appear at a hearing on why the Bush administration has delayed a decision on whether to protect polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. The deadline for the decision was January 9, 2008, and the hearing was held in April. Boxer said that Kempthorne was "ducking [his] responsibility to the American people" by delaying the decision and failing to appear at the hearing. Boxer also noted that the Bush administration did not hesitate to open a major bear habitat to oil leases. Kempthorne said he respectfully declined the invitation to appear at the hearing because he is named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed regarding the subject of the hearing. ^[1]

In a letter to Secretary Kempthorne of the Department of the Interior, for the Fish and Wildlife Service's delay listing the polar bear as an endangered species:

There is no excuse for the delay-legally or scientifically. Further, we find it very disturbing that while FWS is ignoring its legal deadlines to protect the polar bear, the Mineral Management Service (MMS) is moving quickly to hold a lease-sale on February 6, 2008 in nearly 30 million acres of the Chukchi Sea, one of the polar bears' most important habitats^[2].

Senator Boxer has also spoken against Japanese whaling ships, in December 21, 2007 letter to the Japanese ambassador, Senator Boxer and several other Senators asking Japan to stop whale hunting.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

In a floor speech against drilling in ANWR, Senator Boxer argued that proponents of drilling in ANWR admit that " if we get any oil out of there at all, it's not going to be for ten years. And the economically recoverable oil is six months,... maybe."

Climate Change

Senator Boxer introduced S.3036, an amendment to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Bill S.2191 to cut green house gas emissions by 70% by 2050.On June 6th, 2008, with a vote of 48-36 (Yea - Nay), the cloture motion to end the filibuster was rejected. A vote of 60 or greater was needed for the cloture.

In a press release on President Bush's budget propsal for FY2009, Senator Boxer said:

President Bush has once again slashed EPA’s budget, which was cut by $330 million. The cuts include over $270 million dollars from programs that would clean up and restore the nation’s lakes, rivers and streams...The EPA’s job is to protect the health of our families, but with this budget the President is once again sending a clear message that cleaning up our environment is not a priority...

On April 18, 2007, Senator Boxer gave a speech to the National Press Club on global warming. In it, she said that "The Leading scientists of the world tell us clearly that global warming is happening now and human activities are the cause." She continued saying

The political establishment is awakening to this challenge of global warming, but there needs to be a strong, steady, insistent alarm, not a soft, soothing wake up call. We are running out of time…scientists tell us we have about ten years, or the effects of our global warming emissions may become irreversible. Many have pointed to India and China and suggested that we should wait for them before we act. I say the United States needs to be the world leader. When have we ever waited for other countries to lead? If the United States leads, other nations like India and China will follow.

With a vote of 51-42 the Senate rejected S. Amdt 1094 to the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (H.R. 1495). This amendment would have required the Army Corp of Engineers to account for the long-term and short-term effects of global climate change in all feasibility studies or reevaluation reports. Supporters of S. Amdt. 1094 focused especially on the dangers associated with increased hurricane intensity and rising sea levels. Opponents criticized the amendment as being too expensive to implement and refuted any relationship between hurricane intensity and global warming (read the floor debate). Senator Boxer voted for this amendment.

Health

Healthcare

The Senate passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (H.R. 493) with a vote of 95-0. After the House passed the bill in April 2007, Senator Coburn placed a hold on the bill because he wanted to clarify language to allow for "business necessity exemptions." The bill passed by the Senate was amended to reflect changes Senator Coburn wanted. After passage in the House, President Bush signed GINA into law on May 21, 2008.

On August 2, 2007, the Senate passed the final version of the “Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007” (H.R. 976) with a vote of 68-31. This bill would have increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $50 billion dollars over five years. Opponents saw the bill as too costly and were critical of the funding methods for the program, including a cigarette tax increase (read the floor debate). Senator Boxer voted for this legislation. On October 3, 2007, President Bush vetoed H.R. 976, citing that the bill moved too many children towards federally funded healthcare. The House attempted to override the President’s veto, but the measure failed to pass with a vote count of 273-156. On December 29, 2007, President Bush signed the Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) which extends funding for SCHIP through March of 2009, but does not significantly expand the program.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

In April of 2007, Congress passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S. 5), which would have overturned President Bush's ban on the use of federal funding for research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001. Senator Boxer voted for the legislation. The bill passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 247-176 and the Senate with a vote of 63-34. President Bush vetoed both this legislation and an identical bill that was passed by Congress in 2006.

After President Bush's veto, Senator Boxer gave a press release saying "No one knows for certain how many lives we might save with stem cells. But denying hope to those who are suffering—when hope is right there for the taking—is disgraceful."

Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research

In December 2005, Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (H.R. 2520), which President Bush signed on December 20, 2005. The law "creates a new Federal program to collect and store cord blood, and expands the current bone marrow registry program to also include cord blood." Senator Boxer voted for this bill. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 431-1 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

Innovation

On August 9, 2007, President Bush signed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act (H.R. 2272) into law. The law authorizes the doubling of funding for the National Science Foundation over the next seven years, increased funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and competitive grants for teachers and schools with the goal of strengthening the quality of education in science, math, and critical foreign languages. The bill was passed with unanimous consent in the Senate and was agreed to by a vote of 367-57 by the House after being reconciled in a conference committee. Senator Boxer voted for this legislation. The America COMPETES Act was not fully funded in 2008.

Research and Research Management

Funding

In her press release on President Bush's 2009 budget propsal, Senator Boxer said:

The President’s budget freezes funding for the NIH at $29.3 billion. At this funding level, the projected success rate for research grant applications will fall to the lowest level (18 percent) since at least 1970. The budget would also eliminate the National Children’s Study, which examines the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States."

Endnotes

1. ↑ Delay Over Polar Bear Protection is Criticized, Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2008.
2. ↑ Barbara Boxer. Boxer Calls for Immediate Action on Polar Bear Listing http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Majority.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=d771b343-802a-23ad-4167-19a9f1047f92&Designation=Majority