Optimism on Transpo Conference, Sweating the Easy Stuff

Senator Barbara Boxer

The chair of the congressional conference committee trying to get agreement on a transportation bill is cheerleading its chances, but she admits negotiators haven't yet touched the hard stuff.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) took some time Tuesday to tell reporters how optimistic she is that House and Senate negotiators can find common ground on highway and surface transportation funding by a June 30th deadline. The conference kicked off last week.

"The process has been very inclusive and I expect that to produce a result," Boxer said. The Environment and Public Works Committee Chair said she's exercising an "open-door" policy with Republicans and Democrats so that everyone feels heard as the conference marches toward its deadline.

That includes, apparently, a meeting with the conference vice-chair Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) scheduled for Thursday, where Boxer says other members are invited to attend.

Still, for all the enthusiasm, Boxer acknowledged that tough, partisan issues like GOP demands to repeal EPA's new coal ash rules and to include completion of the Keystone XL oils sands pipeline have not yet been discussed.

"We haven't gotten to the areas of disagreement," Boxer said. "We will."

Boxer has set about making her best case for the Senate's MAP-21 highway bill, which passed with 74 votes back in March. She's got a lot of Senate Republicans, and probably nearly all House Democrats on her side up against a House Republican position demanding program reforms, lower spending, Keystone, and the coal ash provisions. One big question is whether, in the end, Republican leaders' price for supporting the bill--likely to include Keystone--can get by Senate Democrats in a politically-charged election-year environment.

"I didn't hear anybody draw a line in the sand," Boxer said.

Congress has temporarily extended highway legislation nine times since it expired in 2009.

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