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Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer has represented the state of California in the United States Senate since 1993. Usually a reliable progressive and environmental advocate, the Democratic senator sought dramatic increases in highway funds in the
2009 Stimulus Bill
. There is a growing fear that Senator Boxer will, as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, cave to the highway lobby during negotiations over the 2009
federal transportation bill
reauthorization. The bill will likely need a radical increase in funds, from $312 billion to upwards of $500 billion, to meet future transportation needs. Taxes and fees needed to bolster the fund will require a filibuster-proof majority, possibly pushing Boxer to align with ranking committee Republican and global warming denier Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). Such an alliance would undoubtedly favor highway construction and automobiles at the expense of transit and alternative transportation.
New Transportation Bill Delayed
In June 2009, following a proposal from the White House [1], Senator Boxer announced an 18-month extension of the Bush-era version of the transportation bill ( SAFETEA-LU ). This move effectively postpones serious transportation reform until 2011, after congressional mid-term elections (and Boxer’s own Senate re-election campaign). She cited inadequate funding for a long-term federal transportation bill [2]. At the heart of the issue is the federal gas tax, which funds the depleted Highway Trust Fund and has not been raised since 1993. James Oberstar , who released his draft of the transportation reauthorization a few weeks earlier [3], wants to raise the gas tax [4] to help pay for his $450 billion dollar, six-year bill. Calling the needed 10-cent increase “huge” [4], Boxer seems to reject a gas tax hike as a way to rescue the highway fund [2]. The 18-month reauthorization would temporarily replenish the Highway Trust Fund without raising taxes during the current recession. Senator Boxer promised that the short-term bill would be “clean” and that she would work on long-term reform during the extension period.
Climate Bill
Senator Boxer, as EPW chair, faces a significant challenge in garnering 60 votes for this year’s climate change legislation – a measure that could include a carbon cap-and-trade system as well as a reduction in transportation-related emissions. In fact, after delaying the federal reauthorization, Senator Boxer told advocates to focus instead on transportation reform in the climate bill. Even though she has postponed the climate bill vote until after the congressional recess in September 2009, most environmental groups view the delay as an organizing opportunity rather than a setback [5]. She hopes to deliver the bill by December 2009, when President Obama will attend the United Nation’s 15th Annual Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen .
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
- 2009 Stimulus Bill
- Will Barbara Boxer Stand Up for Sustainable Transportation?
- Fear Growing Senator Boxer Won’t Deliver Progressive Transportation Act. Streetsblog San Francisco, May 6, 2009.
Streetsblog, May 6, 2009.
REFERENCES
Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] LaHood Asks for 18-month Extension of Four-Year Old Transpo Law. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 17,2009.
[2] Boxer and Inhofe Agree: Transportation Policy Reform Can Wait. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 25, 2009.
[3] Oberstar’s New Transportation Bill: Get the Highlights. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 18, 2009.
[4] Transportation Bill Is Dead As A Doornail For 2009 Because Nobody Can Figure Out How To Pay For It. The Infrastructurist, June 25, 2009.
[5] Boxer and Reid delay Senate action on climate bill until September. Grist, July 9, 2009.
PICTURE REFERENCES
Pictures are cited in the order they appear above. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] Barbara Boxer. Via Wikipedia.
[2]
