Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, right, talks with Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., left, and Len Simon, Salt Lake City's Washington lobbyist, before a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on Tuesday. Becker told the panel that energy legislation now before Congress needs to address vehicle emissions and boost mass transit. (Thomas Burr / The Salt Lake Tribune)

Washington » Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker told a Senate panel Tuesday that Congress' move to limit industry pollution is a good start.

In testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Becker said the nation needs to cut consumer vehicle exhaust in addition to capping pollution by companies, as proposed in the House-passed energy bill.

"The climate change issue to us is one that requires a comprehensive approach, one that is accomplished at all levels of government and one that looks at all sectors of the economy in our society," Becker said. "The American Clean Energy and Security Act -- which passed the House, which certainly I commend and I know many others do -- really misses a key component from our point of view: the transportation sector."

National efforts to curb global warming pollution must address the impact of individual vehicle emissions, Becker said.

He also said that in his experience, the more transit opportunities are available, the more people want to use those alternatives to driving.

"People want walkable communities," Becker said. " They don't like being caught in congestion."

Becker, who previously ran an environmental planning firm, spoke as part of a panel addressing transportation's role in climate change. The mayor's suggestions -- invest in more mass transit, encourage smarter land-use planning and boost alternative transportation,

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such as bike paths and carpooling -- found a welcome audience with fellow Democrats.

"We should make sure that, as we tell American businesses to get their houses in order, we clean up our act as well," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Republicans said they feared a move to limit individual vehicle emissions would add more of a burden for Americans than they're already facing in the economic downturn.

"We cannot afford to lose any more jobs," said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming. "Our goal should be to do what we can to keep red, white and blue jobs that we have now and then move on to green jobs."

Under questioning, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood noted that one of the options to attempt to reduce fuel consumption was off the table.

"We are not for raising the gas tax," the secretary said.

Tuesday's hearing marked the first time Becker has testified before Congress as mayor. His predecessor, former Mayor Rocky Anderson, also testified on climate change in the last congressional session.

tburr@strib.com

 

 

Testimony

Witnesses before the committee came armed with statistics to prove their respective points:

» Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Regina McCarthy said transportation accounts for 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the fastest growing sources of those pollutants;

» Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said 60 percent of transportation emissions were from passenger cars and light-duty trucks.

» Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker offered that households with access to mass transit drive an average of 4,440 fewer annual miles than those without access.

On the other side:

» Ray Kuntz, chief executive of Watkins and Shepard Trucking of Montana, said fluctuations in gas prices play havoc with trucking operations. Already about 5,000 trucking companies have failed and thousands of independent operators have lost jobs.

» Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said a cap-and-trade system will make gasoline more expensive and increase dependency on foreign sources of oil.