CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
June 4, 2012 – 11:02 p.m.
GOP Delivers Highway Bill Warning
By Nathan Hurst and Richard E. Cohen, CQ Staff
House Republicans say they are willing to walk away from highway bill talks if they cannot get what they want on issues including approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and limiting the EPA regulation of coal ash, a move that clouds prospects for completing legislation before the June 30 deadline.
“If we can’t get serious about finding common ground, the bill will fail,” said Pennsylvania Republican
Shuster acknowledged that the House GOP leadership’s inability to pass its five-year, $260 billion transportation proposal (
Shuster said House conferees will insist on provisions to relax some environmental laws, limit regulation of coal ash, mandate quick approval of the pipeline and expand oil and gas production on public lands and in federal waters. Republicans are counting on revenue from increased energy production to bolster the Highway Trust Fund.
Transportation and Infrastructure member
Unless progress is made this week, Hultgren added, the House and Senate “probably will give up” and pass another extension of current highway programs through the end of the year.
Industry lobbyists have also dimmed their outlook on prospects for conferees to wrap up their work before the current extension (PL 112-102) expires at the end of the month.
A Significant Disconnect
While Environment and Public Works Chairwoman
That does not bode well for Senate Democrats, who had been hoping to position their two-year, $109 billion transportation bill (
But there has been a significant disconnect between House and Senate negotiators on the remaining issues of disagreement.
Senate Democrats contend they have already conceded significant ground to Republicans in negotiating their chamber’s bill. Instead of passing its own full highway reauthorization, the House opted to pass a 90-day extension (
Senate negotiators have balked at accepting House provisions that were part of the House authorization bill that was never brought to the floor. That has irritated some House Republican freshmen who feel sidelined by the conference process.
GOP Delivers Highway Bill Warning
A spokesman for House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman
The pipeline would bring crude oil from Canada’s tar sands to Texas refineries. Republicans have used the issue to criticize President Obama, and included language last year in a payroll tax extension (PL 112-78) demanding a quick presidential decision on the pipeline. Citing what he described as an unreasonable deadline, Obama rejected the project — but invited the prospective builder, TransCanada, to resubmit its application when plans were more complete.
The latest pessimism about the conference committee’s prospects contrasts with Boxer’s sunny forecast after a discussion last month with House Speaker
Later this week, Georgia Republican
While motions to instruct conferees are not binding, adoption of Broun’s proposal would signal a hardening of the House GOP position and complicate conference negotiations, since the Senate bill counts on a bevy of budget offsets to maintain highway funding at current levels.