Oct. 7, 2011 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (HR 2681) on October 6 that would push back the deadline for the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue achievable standards for cement manufacturing facilities. House Republicans were joined by a handful of Democrats in passing the bill. Two Republicans joined the majority of Democrats in voting against passage. The Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 faces an uphill battle in the Senate and on October 3 received a veto threat from President Obama.
The bill was supported by Lehigh Hanson, Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers, the Portland Cement Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as conservative ideological groups such as Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, and the John Birch Society. The bill was opposed by environmental protection groups such as Earthjustice, the Environmental Integrity Project, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as the American Lung Association, a health policy group.
Supporting Interest Groups
- Republican/Conservative interest groups gave on average 271 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($21,220) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($78).
- Stone, clay, glass & concrete products interest groups gave on average nearly 3 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($6,399) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($2,157).
- Builders associations interest groups gave on average 51 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($2,719) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($54).
- Manufacturing interest groups gave on average 4.3 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($497) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($116).
- Chambers of commerce gave on average 41% more to House members who voted 'YES' ($265) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($189).
- Combined, interest groups supporting this bill gave on average 12 times as much to House members who voted 'YES' ($31,100) as they gave to House members who voted 'NO' ($2,594).
Opposing Interest Groups
- Environmental policy interest groups gave on average 5.2 times as much to House members who voted 'NO' ($4,988) as they gave to House members who voted 'YES' ($967).
- Health & welfare policy interest groups gave on average 13 times as much to House members who voted 'NO' ($848) as they gave to House members who voted 'YES' ($65).
- Combined, interest groups opposing this bill gave on average 5.7 times as much to House members who voted 'NO' ($5,835) as they gave to House members who voted 'YES' ($1,032).
Methodology: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to House members in office on day of vote, from interest groups invested in the vote according to MapLight, January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2010. Contributions data source: OpenSecrets.org
