Just a hunch, but that’s what one person is whispering. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is in town today to make an announcement. Ariel Hart of the AJC provides a solid write-up about the official’s visit and background and focuses, but she focuses more on Peters’ penchant for public-private partnerships.
We’re all about rumors here, so here’s another take from a source on why Peters visited our tiny hamlet:
We are told that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters today will unveil proposed “reforms” for consideration next year by Congress, when it takes up transportation legislation.
Among those “reforms,” we are told, includes elimination of a much-needed program to reduce congestion and clean up air pollution. (The Transportation Dept. boasts of it here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cmaqpgs/index.htm ) This program goes by the ugly acronym of CMAQ.
It was revised a few years ago by Congress, which ordered DOT to focus more spending on cleaning up dirty diesel engines – absolutely the most cost-effective use of such money. DOT, unfortunately, has basically tried to sandbag the program, and now wants to kill it altogether.
This would be a missed opportunity to clean up dirty diesel pollution and improve air quality across much of the nation.
We are told that DOT also may propose weakening or the Clean Air Act program aimed at making sure that transportation projects don’t worsen air quality. (Known in the jargon as conformity) and may seek to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act as well.
Under the Bush administration, DOT has often been viewed as an arm of the car industry. (You may recall that DOT lobbied Congress to try to block California’s attempt to enforce its greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles.) Now it appears to be a leg of the asphalt lobby.
Again, it could be totally wrong. But don’t be too surprised if it’s right. Congress has the final say in the matter.
