Plan would rob trains to fund highways

Congressional round-up: Two Senators have objected to a Bush Administration plan to “borrow” money from mass transit to fund a deficit in the Transportation Department’s highway fund. Finance Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said they would not support the plan. The highway program has a shortfall of $3.2 billion, while mass transit is $4.4 billion in the black. One has to wonder why, when mass transit gets only 20% the money highways do, they aren’t spending that money on the transportation that can cut greenhouse gas emissions? Bush’s new budget seeks $42.7B for highways and just $8.4B for mass transit. (Sources: E&E Daily, E&E News PM) (Photo courtesy of Flickr and MarkyBon.)

Stimulus bill with clean-energy tax credits misses by 1 vote
A Senate vote to include energy tax-credit extensions in the economic stimulus package failed by 1 vote Wednesday night. Senators are trying to preserve the credits, which expire by year’s end, to maintain the momentum of clean-energy investment. All Democrats voted to consider the bill, as did Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Arlen Specter (Pa.), Gordon Smith (Ore.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Pete Domenici (N.M.), Elizabeth Dole (N.C.) and Norm Coleman (Minn.). Pesidential candidate John McCain (R-Ariz.) did not show up. 5 GOP Senators who had signed a letter supporting extension of the tax credits voted to oppose the bill. They were John Sununu (N.H.), Wayne Allard (Colo.), Sam Brownback (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). This was the third time in 7 month Republican leadership blocked clean-energy tax incentives. The $5.7 billion package included:
* a 1-year extension of the production tax credit
* solar, fuel cell and microturbine investment credits
* high-efficiency appliance credits
* energy efficiency credits for new homes and home retrofits
* energy efficiency credits for commercial buildings.
Senate leadership will continue trying to extend the tax credits. This is a top priority for many Senators and for environmental groups. A tax bill including the credit extensions passed the House but failed in the Senate in December. (Sources: Sierra Club, E&E Daily, Grist)
For more on the tax credits, see a guest post on Grist by Josh Dorner of the Sierra Club.