This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) to a a science and technology research bill establishing a “clean energy consortium” intended to further the commercialization of clean energy technologies. The consortium would include research universities, private industry, as well as nongovernmental organizations that specialize in clean energy development.

Markey urged support for his amendment: “ Moving to commercialize innovations in the clean energy sector is critical to our ability to compete for jobs with China and India. The faster we bring clean energy technologies to market, the faster we end our addiction to foreign oil from the Middle East. Our amendment will connect professors with producers, inventors with investors to move energy innovations out of the lab and into the factory.”

Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) urged members to reject the amendment, arguing Markey’s proposal was “expensive and [would] expand the bureaucracy within the Department of Energy, which is already too large. We need to be consolidating and streamlining DOE's [Department of Energy] many R&D [research and development] programs, not creating new ones on top of new ones.”

The House agreed to Markey’s amendment by a vote of 254-173. 253 Democrats and 1 Republican voted “yea.” 170 Republicans and 3 Democrats voted “nay.” As a result, the House agreed to an amendment establishing a “clean energy consortium” intended to further the commercialization of clean energy technologies.