By Unknown
Legislation that will send 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil spill to Louisiana and its Gulf Coast neighbors took a significant leap forward in Congress last week when the Senate voted to add it to a transportation spending bill. The Senate action follows a House vote last month to include key parts of the so-called Restore Act to its transportation bill. But the Senate voted on an amendment that attaches the entire Restore Act to its $109 billion transportation bill.
House Speaker John Boehner said that he is seriously considering bringing the Senate version up for a vote, which would be a huge break for the Gulf Coast.
"Sometimes you need the right bill, and sometimes you need luck,'' said Sen. Mary Landrieu, who is one of the chief sponsors of the measure. "If the speaker brought up the Senate bill, that would be very lucky for our cause.''
While luck may play a role, the hard work of the entire Louisiana delegation has been critical in the progress that this important legislation is now making. Providing 80 percent of what is expected to be billions in fines to the states that were harmed is fair and reasonable. But Gulf Coast lawmakers had to convince their colleagues of that -- and do so in a tough political environment that has made passing any legislation challenging.
The fact that the Senate amendment was adopted by a comfortable 76-22 margin -- and with bipartisan support -- is a testament to the momentum that the legislation is gaining. Days earlier, the measure had appeared to be in trouble, and Sen. Landrieu said she thought the measure, which needed at least 60 votes, would either pass by one vote or lose by two.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, agreed to back the measure if its supporters would allow the legislation to be used to increase funding to the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, to the tune of $1.4 billion over the next two years.
Senators had to find an offset for that additional cost. The solution was a one-year delay in implementing a tax break for some foreign investments. That offset is worth $3.5 billion and will not only cover the funding increase for the conservation fund but also the cost of the Restore Act, as calculated by the Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. Landrieu credited the vocal support of Sen. Barbara Boxer, who was pushing for its passage Thursday. "We don't have forever,'' Sen. Boxer said. "We need to take care of this today. Vote aye. It's about bipartisanship.''
Bipartisanship won the day, with all 50 Senate Democrats, two Independents and 24 Republicans voting for the amendment, including Sen. David Vitter, who has been a staunch supporter. On the House side, Rep. Steve Scalise, a Republican, has been leading the charge for the Restore Act with support from Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond. Rep. Scalise called the Senate vote "another major step toward final passage of the Restore Act.''
The decisive Senate vote, and the unanimous support that the House measure won last month, are strong signs that the Gulf Coast is on a winning trajectory, one that should help turn disaster into recovery.