Green lobby critical of Obama's new-roads agenda

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Friends of the Earth on Monday attacked President-elect Barack Obama's call for new infrastructure projects in his economic-stimulus package, saying it's a road to pollution. The 39-year-old environmental group launched a new Web site (www.roadtonowhere .org) and announced plans for ads, grass-roots mobilization and lobbying of Congress to keep new construction of roads out of a stimulus bill. "More roads mean more pollution and more dependence on oil, hurting our economy, security and climate," Friends of the Earth's Colin Peppard said. The group, which includes more than 100,000 members and activists in the U.S., said transportation is responsible for 30 percent of the country's global-warming pollution and nearly 70 percent of its oil use, and that 10 miles of new four-lane highway result in emissions equivalent to the lifetime emissions of more than 45,000 Hummers. Mr. Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress have made building roads, bridges and schools - and repairing or repaving existing infrastructure - a cornerstone of a stimulus that could cost between $600 billion and $1 trillion early next year....