Trump DOT Repeals ‘Woke’ Emissions Performance Metrics
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The Department of Transportation this month announced a repeal of a Federal Highway Administration rule for states to establish emission-reduction goals.
Led by Secretary Sean Duffy, the department on April 18 indicated FHWA guidance, such as its requisite reporting on such emission targets, was deemed “woke” and contrary to DOT’s agenda in the Trump administration.
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are going to build great, big, beautiful things again. I slashed this ridiculous climate requirement to ensure no radical political agenda gets in the way of revitalizing America’s highways,” said Duffy.
According to the Federal Register’s announcement, “This repeal will alleviate a burden on state [departments of transportation] and [metropolitan planning organizations] that, had it been implemented, would have imposed costs with no predictable level of benefits and without clear legal authority.”
. is ending the unlawful Greenhouse Gas Rule that would raise project costs and divert critical resources away from highway construction to irrelevant emissions targets. — Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA)
Additionally, the final rule, which is effective May 19, does not prohibit state DOTs and MPOs from “choosing voluntarily to measure and assess CO2 on the [national highway system] or other roads.”
Background information the department provided explained this repeal continues with “efforts to rescind woke policies, roll back burdensome and costly regulations, restore economic growth, and ensure that all USDOT policies align with the administration’s priorities.” Stakeholders such as American Trucking Associations expressed their endorsement for DOT’s recent announcement.
“States are best equipped to determine their transportation needs, but FHWA’s GHG emissions performance measures issued by the Biden administration would have created unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to access federal funds. Ultimately, this heavy-handed approach would have scrambled local priorities and undermined highway expansion projects, leading to greater traffic congestion and higher shipping costs that contribute to inflation,” ATA Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Safety Policy Dan Horvath said. “The trucking industry strongly supports the Trump administration’s decision to repeal this rule that lacked statutory authority.”
Today officially relieved state DOTs from nearly 2 yrs of uncertainty caused by the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas performance mandate. ARTBA had previously supported 22 states’ challenges to the rule and shared its opposition with the Trump administration. — ARTBA (@ARTBA)
Jim Tymon, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ executive director, indicated the group “appreciates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s action to repeal a performance measure rule that was considered by Congress as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act negotiations in 2021 and was ultimately excluded from enacted legislation.”
“The state DOTs look forward to working with USDOT on implementing existing national-level performance measures approved by law in 2012 for safety, pavement, bridge and system performance,” Tymon added. Associated General Contractors of America vice president of government relations Alex Etchen said: “Secretary Duffy’s decision to rescind this measure is in keeping with congressional intent and will help ensure that Americans and the American economy can keep moving.”
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“Repealing the GHG rule removes a regulatory burden that would have increased project costs and imposed Washington, D.C., priorities on state transportation decisions,” explained American Road and Transportation Builders Association CEO Dave Bauer.
Specifically, the rule had called on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to establish performance measurements, or metrics, to lower greenhouse-gas emissions associated with roadway travel. The agency during the Biden era was tasked with reducing carbon dioxide emissions 50% in seven years.
