According to road and bridge builders, a plan requiring states to establish progressively lower objectives for tailpipe emissions might set dangerous precedents for future infrastructure funding.
The Federal Highway Administration issued a 90-page proposed regulation on Thursday with the intention of assisting the Biden administration in meeting its target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 50-52 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
“States play an important role as we work across the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate their effects,” said Deputy FHWA Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “State laws currently mandate 24 states and the District of Columbia to establish targets and track greenhouse gas emissions, and this proposed regulation would scale up this locally successful approach worldwide.”
The rule would reintroduce a comparable climate reduction measure approved by the FHWA during the Obama administration but revoked by the Trump administration in 2018. Trump’s FHWA interpreted “performance” to exclude environmental performance, instead focusing on performance goals targeted at enhancing infrastructure condition and safety and lowering highway congestion.
However, FHWA notes in the proposed rule that, while the 2018 repeal of the GHG measure stated that federal statute does not compel the agency to adopt a GHG emissions measure, it does not preclude FHWA from doing so.
The administration now gives states “the flexibility they need to set their own emission reduction targets while providing them with resources from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to meet those targets and protect their communities,” according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“At the end of the day,” he says, “we all want the same thing, which is lower carbon emissions.” The devil is in the specifics of how we get there. We’ll be soliciting expert advice from our membership to help inform FHWA’s regulatory process.”
When the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, a 90-day comment period will commence.
