The oil and gas industry’s leading trade association accused the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday of skirting federal law by cutting short public consideration of new regulations meant to curb air pollution.

By limiting the comment period for the rule to just 23 days, the EPA is would be violating the Clean Air Act – in the name of clean air, the American Petroleum Institute (API) charged.

“EPA is cramming through unnecessary new regulations for gasoline that could drive up costs without providing significant environmental benefits,” said Bob Greco, director of API downstream group Director Bob Greco. “By limiting public comments, EPA is trying to skirt public participation and transparency in the rulemaking process.”

In the run-up to the Memorial Day weekend, the House has approved legislation aimed at boosting jobs training programs for veterans, and a separate bill meant to ease airport screenings for injured or disabled veterans.

In a 416-0 vote, members passed H.R. 1412, the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act. This bill would make it easier for companies to bear the costs of hiring veterans as part of a federal job training program.

The mother of two victims of a 2004 car crash involving a rental car that had been recalled told lawmakers on Tuesday that enacting legislation to prohibit a future reoccurrence was a "simple fix."

The comment, from California resident Carol Houck, belied the nearly decade-long quest that preceded Tuesday's hearing on the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2013.

The Senate transportation committee's consumer protection subcommittee held a hearing on the bill (S. 921).

Houck pleaded with the panel to approve the bill, which was named in honor of the two daughters she lost after the 2004 accident that involved a recalled rental car.

"Nobody should have to endure the loss of a loved one because a rental car company didn't bother to get an unsafe, recalled car repaired," Houck said after recounting the circumstances of her daughter's crash. "This is simple to fix. This is do-able now. Please pass this law."

The Heritage Foundation has released a number of questions it wants lawmakers to grill Transportation Secretary nominee Anthony Foxx on at his first confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

The conservative think tank has long argued for a reduced federal role in transportation funding and is calling on lawmakers to press Foxx for his views when he testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

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Flight attendants are defending Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) from attacks on his record on national security issues in the Massachusetts Senate special election.

Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez has questioned Markey’s commitment to security in recent days, arguing that the longtime congressman has voted against several measures to protect the homeland since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

But the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) union, which represents American Airlines employees, said Markey has actively worked to safeguard airplanes from potential terrorists during his tenure in Congress.

The union, which has endorsed Markey, cited congressman’s recent efforts to convince the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to drop its plans to allow small knives onto airplanes for the first time since 9/11. 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Monday said there is no proof climate change caused Hurricane Sandy.

Christie rejected an accusation by public radio station WNYC that New Jersey Transit was systemically unprepared for extreme storms in the run up to Sandy.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The Democratic senator said airlines should drop their plans to increase the cost of rebooking plane tickets.

Lawmakers in Connecticut pushed Monday for a quick investigation of the accident on the state's Metro North commuter railway that injured more than 70 people last week.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a briefing on Monday for lawmakers at the site of the accident that saw a train from New York City to New Haven, Conn., derail last Friday in Fairfield, Conn.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who was one of the lawmakers who attended the NTSB briefing, said that he wanted to balance a thorough investigation with resuming commuter rail service in his state quickly.

"I have been in close contact with National Transportation Safety Board leadership and on site investigators and am confident they will do a thorough and timely investigation to determine the cause of this alarming crash, including a careful review of the safety features of the new Metro-North cars," Blumenthal said in a statement released on Monday. 

"The NTSB understands that the quicker they are done investigating on site, the sooner the railroad can be repaired and service can be restored."