Three lessons on passing bipartisan environmental protection bills
U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Sheldon Whitehouse discuss how they found common ground on laws designed to reduce ocean pollution
- Image Kaveh Sardari
Key Takeaways
- U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Sheldon Whitehouse overcame partisan differences to pass ocean conservation laws.
- Doing so required getting support from unlikely allies and working through Congressional procedures.
After the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works discussed ocean plastic pollution, Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, approached Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island.
Sullivan said that in Rhode Island they pick up plastic debris in trash bags. But, he quipped, Alaska relies on dumpsters and barges to manage its problem.
After that exchange, the bipartisan pair from coastal states passed two “Save Our Seas” laws that aim to address ocean pollution. The laws created requirements and incentives to reduce, recycle, and prevent ocean plastic pollution.
The two senators shared insights about what it takes to pass bipartisan conservation legislation in an era of bitter political divides at a recent event held at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, The event was part of The Bridge series, which brings politicians from opposite sides of the aisle together to discuss areas of agreement.
Here are three highlights from their remarks:
- Don’t write off potential supporters.
At an early Senate committee hearing on their ocean preservation bill, Whitehouse was concerned to see former Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma in attendance. Inhofe historically had opposed environmental regulation, and Whitehouse was ready for him to critique their bill, the Rhode Island senator said at the event.
So he was surprised when Inhofe spoke about spending childhood nights in Texas sitting outside with a flashlight, making sure cars and trucks driving on the beach didn’t crush baby sea turtles coming out of their shells. After sharing the anecdote, Inhofe promised to support the Save Our Seas bill.
Now, Whitehouse said, he urges people struggling with their colleagues to “look for their inner sea turtle.”
- The media prioritizes stories with conflict.
Sullivan described speaking at a press conference with Whitehouse about their proposal with representatives from then-President Trump’s administration and Fortune 50 companies. The event, he said, didn’t generate much attention.
“Issues that unite people don’t always get the attention,” Sullivan said. He joked that he and Whitehouse would smash pies in each other’s faces at a future news conference to garner more headlines.
- Congressional rules matter.
Sullivan and Whitehouse passed their bills by unanimous consent, a parliamentary procedure that allows a bill to be moved through the legislative process as long as no one objects during a floor vote.
Whitehouse said their other options were to try and get floor time, which can be extremely difficult given the number of bills Congress considers, or they could have attached it to a piece of must-pass legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act.
Getting sign-off from dozens of committees, which would be required for a floor vote or amendment, “is a torture process,” Whitehouse said.
“It’s often worth it just to go straight to the floor and start banging away at unanimous consent until your adversaries come out of the woodwork and you can deal with whatever their problem is,” he added.