Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Barbara Boxer

Boxer Delays Senate Climate Bill Until September

This was supposed to be a big week for action on climate change in the Senate -- but it's ending with Republicans rubbing their hands in glee as the Environment and Public Works Committee delays its unveiling of legislation on carbon emissions.

070619_boxer.jpgSenate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (Photo: AP)

As Reuters reports this afternoon:

[Environment committee chairman] Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said her self-imposed deadline of early August for finishing writing abill to combat global warming has been put off until after Congressreturns from a recess that ends in early September.

"We'll do it as soon as we get back" from that break, Boxer toldreporters. Asked if this delay jeopardizes chances the Senate will passa bill this year, Boxer said, "Not a bit ... we'll be in (session)until Christmas, so I'm not worried about it."

But Boxer did not guarantee Congress will be able to finish a billand deliver it to Obama by December, when he plans to attend aninternational summit on climate change in Copenhagen.

Just two weeks ago, Boxer advised supporters of transportation reform to "work with me on my global warming bill" as she called for a quick rescue of the nation's highway trust fund.

The highway account is expected to run dry in mid-August, sending Congress and the Obama administration scurrying to find $20 billion to keep state-level road projects funded until the end of 2010.

Boxer's postponement of a climate debate in her committee may well be an acknowledgment of the challenge lawmakers are facing to rustle up that $20 billion by month's end -- especially given that House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is refusing to budge on his commitment to a new transportation bill this year. The delay in climate may also be driven by the uncertainty surrounding a global pact on emissions reduction.

No matter what, however, the environmental news out of the Senate today is not good.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Judge Orders Trump to Restore $34M in Security Funding to MTA

DHS overstepped its authority when it attempted to tie money from the Transit Security Grant Program to the Trump administration's efforts to deport immigrants, Judge Lewis Kaplan said.

October 16, 2025

Friday Video: Drool Over This London School Street

That's cricket! Check out how London transformed a roadway around a big stadium into a play street.

October 16, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Gateway ‘Terminator’ Edition

President Trump abruptly announced he'd "terminated" the Gateway Tunnel project while taking aim at Chuck Schumer. Plus more news.

October 16, 2025

Trump’s Electrification Cuts are Short-Sighted: Report

EV infrastructure is far more valuable to the nation's prosperity and jobs market than the White House believes, according to a new report.

October 16, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Another Highway Boondoggle Erased Edition

Maybe the worm has turned on these awful boondoggles? Plus other news.

October 15, 2025

Book Excerpt Special: ‘War on Cars’ Hosts Explore Life After the Automobile

...and why it's so urgent that we work for a better future.

October 15, 2025
See all posts