Today’s Headlines

GOP Aims to Put Highway Trust Fund Money on the Table for Cuts (WSJ)
New Science Committee Chairman: “There are Doubts About the Quality of Climate Science” (NYT)
Sen. Boxer Spoiling for a Fight as GOP Plans Climate Rollback (The Hill)
Senate Could be Forced to Give Up Earmarks, Says Sen. Durbin (Politico)
The Developed World May Have Hit “Peak Travel,” But What About the Rest of the Planet? (Grist)
New House Rules Could Cause Problems for the Transportation Sector (The Hill)
Are Massachusetts Police Enforcing the State’s Texting Ban? (Globe)
Smart Growth in Maryland Proves Elusive (Baltimore Sun)
Diane Rehm Tackles High-Speed Rail (WAMU)
What the New House Rules Mean For Bicycling (LAB)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

‘Gas Tax’ Sounding Like a Four-Letter Word to the White House and Senate

By Elana Schor | Apr 16, 2010

Transportation groups of all shapes and sizes have been concerned that the Senate’s forthcoming climate bill could set back the prospects for a federal transportation measure by imposing extra carbon fees on Big Oil — which would then be passed on to customers at the pump, effectively increasing the gas tax for purposes other than […]

New GOP Bill Would Bar Enviro Reviews from Considering Climate

By Elana Schor | Apr 20, 2010

Republicans on the Senate environment committee, who months ago began criticizing the Obama administration for evaluating federally funded infrastructure projects for their impact on climate change, today introduced legislation that would bar the White House from making climate a factor in environmental reviews. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), one of the new NEPA bill’s sponsors, holds […]

Cardin & Carper Bullish on Transit’s Prospects in Senate Climate Bill

By Elana Schor | Jul 22, 2009

Addressing a climate change forum this morning, two Democrats on the Senate environment committee said they are pushing for transit and other green modes of transport to get 10 percent of the revenue generated by the upcoming Senate bill regulating carbon emissions. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) (Photo: DTI) Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), a chief sponsor […]

Kerry: There’s a Narrow Window For GOP Cooperation on Pricing Pollution

By Elana Schor | Nov 4, 2009

The chief sponsor of the Senate climate change bill acknowledged today that there is a narrow window for Republican cooperation on the legislation, thanks to GOP resistance to its central goal — putting a price on CO2 emissions. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), at right, with climate bill co-author Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (Photo: NWF via […]

Senate Climate Bill Leaks: The Good News and Bad News for Transport

By Elana Schor | Sep 29, 2009

The Senate’s climate change legislation will finally make its debut tomorrow, courtesy of environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and foreign relations committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA). But the Washington Post has already obtained a "close-to-final" version of the bill [PDF], which provides some details but leaves unanswered the key question of how much aid […]

Kerry on Senate Climate Bill: Federal Gas Tax is Staying at 18.4 Cents

By Elana Schor | Apr 21, 2010

The several dozen transportation industry groups that raised questions about where the upcoming Senate climate change bill would send proceeds from its new "linked fee" on carbon fuels can stop worrying — because it looks like the legislation won’t contain any new tax on motor fuels. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) (Photo: Getty) As Sen. John […]