[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 6, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4434-S4435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, on August 2, 2022, I missed rollcall vote 
No. 280, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. Had I been in attendance, I 
would have voted yea.
  Millions of American veterans whose time in the military spanned from 
Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan came home injured from toxic exposure 
to Agent Orange, burn pits, and more while serving our Nation with 
honor. They deserve not only our utmost respect for their sacrifice, 
but also the ability to access their earned benefits without 
bureaucratic obstacles. For too long, these veterans were met with 
skepticism and denial about the consequences of toxic exposure, despite 
mounting evidence of the serious health consequences that can stem from 
this exposure. No more.
  These generations of men and women stood up for us, now it is our 
duty to stand up for them. Ensuring that those exposed to these harmful 
and deadly toxins can get the care they need is the least that we can 
do for such heroes.
  Mr. President, on August 3, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 282, 
Treaty Doc. 117-3, Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on 
the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden. Had 
I been in attendance, I would have voted yea.
  For over seven decades, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization--
NATO--has been the bedrock of security in Europe and helped preserve 
world order. Today, in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion of 
Ukraine, the importance of transatlantic strength and unity cannot be 
overstated.
  It is more important than ever that, as we remain committed to the 
pursuit of peace and prosperity in Europe, we work with our NATO allies 
to stand up to Vladimir Putin's aggression and send a clear message to 
any who attempt to follow his path that the free world will not stand 
idly by while its values and its sovereignty are attacked.
  The addition of these two Nordic countries and European Union 
members, Finland and Sweden, who have long acted in partnership with 
this alliance, will serve to not only send that critical message, but 
will make NATO a stronger force for peace in the world.
  This is a historic day. And I gladly support and welcome the addition 
of these two important allies whose military and diplomatic 
capabilities will help NATO better address urgent and emerging threats 
to European and global security.
  Mr. President, on August 4, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 283, a 
joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. Had 
I been in attendance, I would have voted no because this resolution 
would undermine core provisions of the National Environmental Policy 
Act--NEPA--that are critical for protecting our environment, our water 
and air, endangered species and their habitats, and the well-being of 
the American people.
  The purpose of NEPA is to ensure that the Federal Government fully 
thinks through and considers all of the impacts of infrastructure 
projects, both the direct and indirect cumulative impact of a projects. 
In the fight against climate chaos, NEPA is a critical tool for 
ensuring that our government considers all of the ways that a project 
might add to or mitigate the climate crisis, and then empower agencies 
to analyze reasonable alternatives that are less harmful to our natural 
environment.
  As part of its relentless campaign to undermine the fight against 
climate chaos, the last administration went to

[[Page S4435]]

great lengths to weaken NEPA's ability to protect our environment and 
severely limited the ability of agencies to seek out less harmful 
alternatives. The previous administration also directed that the 
indirect and cumulative impacts of Federal projects no longer needed to 
be considered. As stated in a letter sent to the Senate by a group of 
200 organizations representing millions of members and supporters, 
these changes were a blatant effort ``to entrench federal climate 
denial, hastily permit dangerous or polluting projects, and 
systematically disenfranchise low-income, rural, and minority 
communities from government decision-making.''
  Since coming into office, President Biden has worked to restore 
NEPA's core provisions, reduce litigation risk, and help deliver more 
sustainable and equitable projects. The ``Phase 1'' rulemaking that 
this CRA attacks, is essential to addressing the climate crisis and 
ensuring environmental justice for communities that disproportionately 
bear its brunt. If this joint resolution were to pass, it would not 
only undermine our agencies' ability to mitigate climate change or make 
decisions that ensure a project is more resilient to the foreseeable 
effects of a changing climate, it would also potentially stop any 
future administration from using NEPA to address the climate impacts of 
Federal decisions. That would be disastrous for our environment, for 
our country, and for the American people.
  Therefore, as previously stated, for the well-being of our planet and 
of future generations, had I been present, I would have strongly 
opposed this effort to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act and 
voted no on this joint resolution.
  Mr. President, on August 4, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 284, 
confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 1100, Roopali H. Desai, of 
Arizona, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Had I been in 
attendance, I would have voted yea.

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