November 25, 2009

Climate Bill Approved by Senate EPW Committee
SENATE LEADERS CONTINUE TO WORK ON LEGISLATIVE OUTLINE AND TIMELINE

On November 5, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733) on an 11-1 vote, despite a boycott by the panel's Republicans. Leading up to the vote, several days of committee business meetings were held on the legislation without much involvement from Republican members. Ranking Member Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) requested a complete Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) modeling of the bill before agreeing to a vote. Although the committee continued with a vote, Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) committed to providing the report before the legislation goes to the Senate floor. The analysis will take 4-6 weeks to produce.

Senate climate leaders, including Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), are now working to put together a legislative outline and timeline for the next steps on comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Their plan includes releasing a set of principles next month on their greenhouse gas reduction goals to establish a framework and commitment for the legislation as it moves forward. Lawmakers have laid out a timeline of getting the 60 votes needed to pass the bill on the Senate floor by March, in order for a conference with the House to be completed by next summer.

Six Senate committees have jurisdiction over the climate bill. Both the Environment and Public Works Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee have already produced language. Foreign Relations Chair Kerry has promised to move the legislation through his committee quickly, although the remaining three committees-Commerce, Finance and Agriculture-are unlikely to be able to commit to a quick timeline. As currently written, the bill includes grant programs for clean transportation and transit that nearly triples the funding included in the House version. SGA will continue work to build support for those sections to ensure it stays as the legislation is merged with the energy bill and revised by the remaining committees.

TAKE ACTION: Ask your Senator to support funding for green transportation in the Senate climate bill!

Read this update on climate happenings from 1sky for more information.

Future for Transportation Programs Still Undecided
JOBS BILL IDEA GAINS TRACTION ON THE HILL

National surface transportation programs continue to be funded until December 18 at FY 2009 levels. Debate also continues on Capitol Hill regarding next steps for transportation. In recent weeks there have been rumblings from lawmakers in the House about doing a jobs-focused bill, which could include a substantial transportation component. This could provide as much as $200 billion for transportation infrastructure, although there have been no commitments from House leadership to make the funding available. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has publicly supported increased funding for transit and highway programs as part of a broader job creation effort.

In meetings with top Congressional leadership and White House aides, Transportation for America has said that if a jobs bill moves forward, the transportation section must be no longer than one year to prevent further postponement of transformative policy changes, that it must prioritize rehabilitation of our existing infrastructure, and that it should invest in programs that help create a sustainable new transportation future.

Now that the House has approved their healthcare bill, the schedule is more open to take on transportation. The Senate is still bogged down with healthcare, and is unlikely to seriously consider any transportation legislation until early next year. The Administration remains supportive of an eighteen-month extension with limited policy changes. If any legislation moves in the coming weeks, it will likely be labeled as a "jobs bill" that will invest in infrastructure while increasing opportunities for employment.

Senate to Markup Livable Communities Act in January
House Companion to S. 1629 Expected Next Month

A House version of the Livable Communities Act is expected to be introduced by the end of the year. It will be referred to the House Financial Services Committee under Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA). The House committee is currently focused on financial regulatory reform, so although there is support for the bill, it may not immediately have a place in their schedule. The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will likely hold a markup of their legislation (S. 1619) in January. The legislation was introduced in August by Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT). 

The Livable Communities Act would authorize a federal Interagency Council on Sustainable Communities that would include representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, among other agencies. It would also create a federal Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at HUD, which would administer and oversee the Livable Communities grant programs. These grant programs include a competitive planning grant program for integrating land-use and environmental planning and challenge grants that could be used for changing zoning and building codes to allow for smarter growth and development.

Congress Leaves for Thanksgiving Recess with Appropriations Process On-Going
OUTLOOK UNCERTAIN FOR FY 2010 TRANSPORTATION-HUD SPENDING BILL

Congress has left town for its week-long Thanksgiving recess with the majority of appropriations bills still awaiting action. FY 2010 began on October 1, but only five out of twelve annual spending bills have been enacted thus far. Government programs are currently being funded until December 18 at FY 2009 levels under a second stop-gap resolution. The Transportation-HUD spending bill is one of four bills that have been approved by both chambers but have not been moved to conference. At this point it is most likely that the legislation will not be conferenced, but rather will be part of an omnibus or "minibus" spending bill to be passed when the current continuing resolution expires.

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Smart Growth America!

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