Will Barbara Boxer Stand Up for Sustainable Transportation?

aboxer500.jpgBehind the scenes, we’re hearing a lot of sustainable transportation advocates sounding alarms over California Senator Barbara Boxer these days. As chair of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee, Boxer is going to play a critical role in this year’s federal transportation funding effort. Environmentalists want to see transportation policies and funding formulas that encourage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But the highway lobby, AASHTO and the EPW committee’s ranking Republican and vocal climate change denier, Senator James Inhofe, don’t want anything get in the way of their pork-tastic federal highway projects. Environmentalists have come away from meetings and conversations with Boxer and her staff with the sinking sensation that she’s going to cave to Inhofe and friends when it comes time to write the transportation bill.

Over at Streetsblog San Francisco,
Matthew Roth has the first installment of what will surely be an ongoing story…

  • Mike

    This is hugely important. Watershed is not hyperbole. I hope the environmental, transportation & planning advocacy groups (as well as public health, senior citizen, disabled, etc) stay on top of this as it develops.

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