Markey joins Senate Environment and Public Works committee

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) was appointed to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has a large say in federal transportation issues, on Wednesday.

Markey is replacing former Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who was appointed recently to be U.S. Ambassador to China, on the panel.

Markey said he was glad to be appointed to the committee and looking forward to working on both transportation and environmental issues.

{mosads}”The work done on the Environment and Public Works Committee is proof that we can have a healthy economy and a healthy environment at the same time, creating jobs even as we cut pollution,” Markey said in a statement. “Whether it’s repairing our roads and bridges, expanding commerce at Boston Harbor, or combating climate change, I am going to use my service on this committee to help Massachusetts now and in the future.”

The chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), said she glad to have Markey aboard the panel.

“Sen. Markey will be a great addition to the Environment and Public Works Committee because of his proven effectiveness as a legislator,” Boxer said in a statement. “He has shown great leadership on the issues that the EPW Committee is working on right now, including addressing climate change, investing in critical transportation and water infrastructure, and ensuring that our nuclear facilities are safe and secure.  I welcome Sen. Markey to this committee and look forward to working with him on these critical issues.”

Markey is joining the Senate’s Public Works Committee at a time when the panel is in the midst of considering a potential reauthorization of the bill that provide federal appropriations for transportation projects.

The current version of the measure is scheduled to expire in September, and the budget forecaster have projected a potential shortfall in transportation funding of $20 billion per year.