Area Votes in Congress

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress voted on major issues last week:

House

Natural gas exports.

Voting 277-133, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (HR 351) requiring prompt Department of Energy action on applications from U.S. firms to export liquefied natural gas to countries with which America does not have free-trade agreements. The bill would require the department to issue a final decision within 30 days after environmental reviews have been completed. Critics said this would weaken DOE reviews of whether applications are in the public interest in terms of assuring adequate, affordable domestic supplies of natural gas.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it may face a 60-vote hurdle.

Voting yes: Ryan Costello (R., Pa.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.), Pat Meehan (R., Pa.), Donald Norcross (D., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Voting no: Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.), John Carney (D., Del.), Matt Cartwright (D., Pa.), and Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.).

Not voting: Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.).

Export ban to state sponsors of terrorism. Voting 175-237, the House on Wednesday defeated a Democratic motion to deny the export of U.S. natural gas under HR 351 (above) to state sponsors of terrorism or to countries or firms that use cyber attacks to steal U.S. intellectual property and military technology. The motion also required the gas to be exported in ships and shipping containers that are built in the U.S. and fly under the American flag.

A yes vote was to adopt the motion, which, had it prevailed, would have amended the bill.

Voting yes: Boyle, Carney, Cartwright, Fattah, and Norcross.

Voting no: Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Meehan, Pitts, and Smith.

Not voting: Brady.

Senate

Keystone XL Pipeline. Voting 62-36, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill (S 1) to force federal approval of a Keystone XL Pipeline leg reaching more than 900 miles from the Canadian border through Montana and South Dakota to Steele City, Neb. Under the bill, Congress would usurp authority over the international project from the State Department and White House.

A yes vote was to pass the bill. It will be reconciled with a similar House-passed measure. President Obama has threatened a veto.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), and Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).

Voting no: Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Chris Coons (D., Del.), and Robert Menendez (D., N.J.).

Alaska wilderness designations. Voting 50-48, the Senate on Wednesday defeated an amendment to nullify President Obama's recent designation of 12.3 million acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as permanent wilderness. Needing 60 votes for passage, the amendment also sought to negate the administration's recent prohibition of oil and gas drilling in 9.8 million acres of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off of Alaska.

A yes vote was to nullify recent administration decisions to protect federal land and seas in Alaska from oil and gas exploration.

Voting yes: Toomey.

Voting no: Booker, Carper, Casey, Coons, and Menendez.

This week. The Senate will take up the fiscal 2015 homeland-security budget. The House schedule was not announced.