Explaining House Voting On Energy Policy: Ideology and the Conditional Effects of Party and District Economic Interests

Abstract

HE IMPORTANCE of congressional decisions on energy policy has provoked considerable speculation but relatively little empirical JL analysis on why congressmen vote as they do.'Speculation has fo- cused on three main factors as explanations for congressional voting be- havior on energy policy: (1) the relative economic benefit to the district; (2) the party affiliation of the congressman; and (3) the ideology of the con- gressman.This analysis of votes on energy policy during the 94th Congress demonstrates the relative importance of the ideological factor and explores the ways in which the other factors condition the relationship between ideol- ogy and voting behavior on energy.' This analysis is needed substantively as a counterweight to much of the published material, especially that by energy-policy specialists, which incor- rectly attributes congressional voting behavior to constituency pressures.It also makes a significant methodological contribution by going beyond mere establishment of the relative importance of ideology to show how party and constituency interests condition the impact of ideology on voting. EXPLAINING ENERGY VOTES District Economic BenefitUntil now much of the commentary, especially of those in the field of energy politics, has sought to explain congressional voting behavior on en- ergy as a response to the economic interest of the constituency as a whole.The basic contention has been that representatives from energy-producing districts (specifically oil-and gas-producing districts) expect to derive eco- nomic benefits for their constituents (and enhanced reelection prospects for