Automobiles

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that he had a "blueprint for ending distracted driving."

LaHood has made increasing the number of states that prohibit cellphone use in cars a top priority since he was appointed by President Obama in 2009, and declared Thursday that he has found a way.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic," LaHood said in a statement released by his office. "While we’ve made progress in the past three years by raising awareness about this risky behavior, the simple fact is people are continuing to be killed and injured — and we can put an end to it."

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood expressed some reservations about a proposed light rail in Detroit during his meeting with officials there.

Automobile sales rose by 18 percent in May.

But the CEO of Toyota is worried about future sales.

New York City's subway system is getting new rail cars.

Ford chief Alan Mulally suggested Wednesday that negotiators complete an Asia-Pacific trade deal before letting more nations join. 

Mulally, the automaker's president and chief executive, is advocating that the nine nations involved in ongoing talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) reach a final agreement before deciding whether to include Japan, Canada and Mexico.

"We have nine members that are all ready to go and the most important thing is to get the trade agreement done as quickly as we can then consider other countries later," he told reporters after meeting with Michigan's congressional delegation on Wednesday on Capitol Hill. 

"They've got a lot of momentum and all the countries that are in the nine are free traders, so we've got a great opportunity to get that done now and get the benefits of it," he said. 

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is out with a new ad slamming Democrat Ron Barber for supporting Democrats' push for cap-and-trade regulation of carbon emissions, seeking to tie him to President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the process.

The Senate approved a plan late Thursday that would make it easier for lawmakers and staff to drive plug-in electric vehicles to work.

The bill, which passed unanimously, authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to install battery recharging stations in parking areas under Senate control in the Capitol complex.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), an ally of Detroit automakers, hailed the bill Thursday as a way to help promote vehicles that “offer great potential in meeting our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A closed airport in Michigan is auctioning its equipment.

A judge ruled auto dealerships have to inform buyers of their credit status before they charge them higher interest rates.

Italian automaker Fiat, which now owns Chrysler, might build Mazdas at its plants soon.

A disputed subway tunnel in Beverly Hills, Calif., has been approved for construction.

Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels hit record levels in 2011, according to the International Energy Agency, which warned Thursday that the window to prevent temperature increases above 2 degrees Celsius is closing fast.

The Paris-based IEA released a preliminary estimate Thursday showing that global emissions from burning fossil fuels reached 31.6 gigatons (Gt) last year, a 3.2 percent increase over 2010.

The data show that emissions from China and India jumped, while they fell slightly in the United States and the European Union.

The IEA warns that global emissions need to peak soon to stand a decent chance of limiting the eventual average global temperature rise to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, the threshold that many scientists and advocates say is needed to avert the most dangerous climatic changes.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The French citizen who allegedly threatened to have a bomb onboard a U.S. Airways plane that was diverted to Maine will not be charged, but she will be sent home.

Southwest Airlines will pay $100 million for improvements to Houston's Hobby Airport so it can fly international routes from there.

Southwest will lease 717 airplanes that have been used by AirTran Airways to Delta Airlines after its merger with AirTrain is complete.

Analysts are predicting auto sales in the United States will increase 30 percent this month.

The lobbying group for automobile dealerships is contesting a claim by a consumer group that higher fuel standards for cars will lead to happy drivers.

Instead, the McLean, Va.-based National Automobile Dealers Association said Wednesday the Obama administration's proposed fuel economy standard of 54.5 miles per gallon will lead to less drivers because few people will be able to afford cars.

"If you increase the price of a car, fewer people are going to be able to qualify for a loan. It's a simple as that," NADA spokesman Bailey Wood told The Hill Wednesday.

Outgoing Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said Tuesday that the Keystone XL pipeline approval mandate that is currently being debated by a conference committee on a proposed multi-year surface transportation bill will lead to higher prices if it becomes law.

Kucinich, who was ousted in a primary in March by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), said a study released by the Natural Resources Defense Council showed the Keystone approval would increase the amount the U.S. has to spend on gasoline by $4 billion by "limiting the supply of Canadian crude to Midwest refineries and rerouting it to Gulf Coast refineries.

"A foreign-owned oil company is playing us for fools," Kucinich said in a statement released by his office. "In order to convince Americans to accept a pipeline that will result in higher gas prices, we have been bombarded with a public relations campaign to convince us that the pipeline is a good idea. It may be a good idea to foreign investors, but the Keystone XL pipeline is a bad idea for American consumers, a bad idea for America’s fledgling economy, a bad idea for our health and a bad idea for our environment."