Climate Change
Basics
Getting the Message
Two things were clear at this morning's hearing of the Senate Banking Committee concerning green investments in public transportation. First, transportation experts and leading legislators are very much in agreement on how transportation spending should change. And second, Randal O'Toole's days as anything other than an anachronism are numbered.
July 7, 2009
Senate Starts Climate Push With Nods to Jobs, Energy, and Transportation
The Senate is taking its first public steps toward combating climate change -- and while the U.S. DOT was absent from this morning's hearing, the chiefs of the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency reminded lawmakers that transportation must play a key role in any emissions reduction plan.
July 7, 2009
Adding More Transportation to the Climate Change Mix
Nate Silver's new analysis of the state of play on climate change in the Senate makes a convincing argument that a carbon cap-and-trade system can become law this year.
July 6, 2009
The GOP Climate ‘Traitors’ Have Something Else in Common …
Conservatives are continuing to pull the Republican party towards self-immolation today, vowing to defeat the eight House GOPers who backed last week's climate change bill unless they change their votes.
June 30, 2009
How Did the Senate’s 2008 Climate Bill Treat Transportation?
As I hunted for the language in the House climate change bill that set aside emissions allowances for transportation projects, I wondered how the Senate treated the issue in its climate bill last year.
June 29, 2009
House Climate Bill on Green Transpo: The Details
Late Update: An earlier version of this post used the committee-approved version of
the climate bill rather than the final, House-passed version. The climate bill's identifying number was changed at the last minute, from the original H.R. 2454 to H.R. 2998, which can be downloaded at the fourth link from the top on the House Rules Committee's website. Streetsblog Capitol Hill regrets the error.
June 29, 2009
The House is Debating its Climate Legislation Right Now
Kate Sheppard from Grist is Tweeting the heck out of the climate bill debate on the floor of the House of Representatives today (218 votes and counting). Barbara Boxer, who is working on the Senate version of this bill, yesterday reminded sustainable transport advocates that this is probably going to be their only chance in the next 18 months to get something done in Congress.
June 26, 2009
Senate Poised to Move on Climate Bill
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairman of the Senate environment committee, isn't yet ready to start debating a long-term transportation bill -- but she is reportedly prepared to move on climate change legislation that includes targets for diminishing auto dependence and encouraging transit use.
June 24, 2009
House Dems Agree: Climate Bill Can Help Pay For Greener Transportation
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee just struck a deal ahead of Friday's make-or-break vote on climate change legislation to give greener transportation a place at the table.
June 23, 2009
New Report Quantifies Benefits of Adding Smart Growth to Climate Bill
As a new non-partisan analysis of the House climate change bill -- proving that capping CO2 can save money for the poorest fifth of the nation -- continues to make waves on the Hill, it's worth noting that the legislation could yield even greater savings by focusing on reducing transportation-based emissions.
June 22, 2009