©2026 League of Conservation Voters
1985 Scorecard Vote
124
296
14
As noted in the previous vote description, cost-sharing provisions are critical to guarding against environmentally destructive, “pork barrel” water projects. When the House finally passed its first new water projects bill in nearly a decade in November 1985, the legislation did include important cost-sharing provisions. No sooner had it done so, however, than the House returned to politics as usual, and promptly exempted many flood control projects on the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries from cost-sharing. Many of these projects are in the district of Rep. Jamie Whitten (D-MS), Chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, who controls the flow of water project spending to every congressional district in the country.
This vote was on the Edgar Amendment to apply cost-sharing requirements to all projects in the bill. Edgar Amendment rejected 124-296; November 6, 1985. YES is the pro-environmental vote. (Edgar Amendment to H.R. 6, Water Resources Development Act.) The Reagan Administration supported the amendment. On November 17, 1986 an omnibus water projects bill was signed into law with cost-sharing provisions incorporated.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters