Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
480962177_c6fd7c8917.jpgPelosi helps cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Muni's T-line. Photo: kitetoa/Flickr

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco claims she is committed to
public transit and reducing motor vehicle congestion. In a speech to the Regional Plan Association (RPA) last April she said her flagship issues as speaker are energy independence and reducing global warming.

"Our
infrastructure choices will help determine whether people can choose
alternatives to driving their cars," Pelosi told the RPA convention.
"In Congress, we
are leading by example with a ‘Green the Capitol’ initiative that will
make our complex a model of green infrastructure and environmental
stewardship."

If that's the case, why didn't Pelosi fight for public transit in the stimulus bill passed in the House yesterday,
instead of a meager $9 billion that only rose to the original $12
billion because of an amendment by Rep. Jerry Nadler? Why is
transportation spending so highway heavy at $30 billion? 

"This is not all we're going to do," said Pelosi's spokesman, Drew
Hammill. "We know we can’t do everything in one bill and there’s
restraints on what we can spend. She said we have to do something to
quickly turn around the economic situation. The number one priority
here is turning the economy around."

Hammill
actually said the $12 billion is "a huge step forward for public
transit." In California, under the stimulus bill, about $950 million
will be allocated as transit capital, compared to $2.7 billion for
highways and bridges.

"This is a bill about the future,"
Pelosi said today at a news conference with fellow Democrats. "It is a
bill that will guarantee that we will create jobs, that there will be
good paying green jobs that will transform our infrastructure,
transform our energy and how we use it and our dependence on foreign
oil."

Let's hope Pelosi really means what she
says about her commitment to fighting global warming and getting people
out of their cars when Congress takes up the re-authorization of the
Transportation Equity Act.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts