U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today delivered on his promise to slash an unlawful environmental rule that would raise project costs and divert critical resources away from highway construction to irrelevant emissions targets. The action, which is the Department’s first completed deregulatory move, comes less than 100 days into the Trump Administration.
“Under President 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 U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“AASHTO appreciates the US 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,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon
“ARTBA members commend Transportation Secretary Duffy and President Trump for ending an unnecessary, ideologically driven mandate that would have placed new burdens on mobility solutions. Repealing the GHG rule removes a regulatory burden that would have increased project costs and imposed Washington, D.C., priorities on state transportation decisions,” said American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) President and CEO Dave Bauer.
“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,” said American Trucking Associations Senior VP of Regulatory Affairs and Safety Policy Dan Horvath. “The trucking industry strongly supports the Trump Administration’s decision to repeal this rule that lacked statutory authority.”
“The so-called greenhouse gas performance measure would have forced states to put important infrastructure projects, like road and bridge improvements, on hold to fund projects that would do little to facilitate the movement of people and goods. 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,” said Associated General Contractors of America Vice President of Government Relations Alex Etchen.
You can read the GHG rescission Final Rule here .
Background
The overturned greenhouse gas emission (GHG) rule would have required state transportation departments to measure and establish declining targets for carbon dioxide emissions on federally supported highways.
Today’s action builds on Secretary Duffy’s 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. The GHG measurement rule had been rescinded during the first Trump Administration, only to be reinstated by the Biden Administration. Two federal judges later ruled that the Department lacked authority to issue the rule.
The rescission of the GHG Measurement Rule is the latest in a series of actions designed to deliver on the President’s commitment to rescind harmful policies enacted under the Biden-Harris Administration and reaffirm USDOT’s focus on safety, efficiency, economic prosperity, and regulatory reform.