Press Releases

Republican leaders of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today applauded the Trump Administration for effectively killing the Biden Administration’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance measure rule it had attempted to unlawfully impose upon the states.

Under the Biden Administration, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a final rule in November 2023 imposing a GHG emissions performance measure on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations, despite lacking authority from Congress to do so.  The Biden rule was challenged by 21 states in a lawsuit led by the state of Kentucky, and by the state of Texas in another lawsuit.  Two separate courts found the rule exceeded the Administration’s authority, with one court vacating the rule.  However, the Biden Administration appealed the decisions in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Trump Administration has decided to drop both of those appeals, and in addition recently announced that the Department of Transportation submitted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to rescind FHWA’s rule.

Last Congress, in the House, opposition to the GHG rule was led by the former Chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee Rick Crawford (R-AR), and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).  In the Senate, efforts were led by Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

“I commend the Trump Administration for withdrawing from both of these cases to correct this blatant overreach of the Biden Administration.  Congress clearly rejected the inclusion of a GHG performance measure requirement when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was being developed, but the previous administration ignored this fact and still sought to impose its overreaching GHG regulation on the whole country.  I want to thank President Trump for this commonsense action and working to bring an end to this burdensome and unlawful rule,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO).

“The GHG rule from the Federal Highway Administration was a ridiculous overreach of FHWA authority. The Biden Administration FHWA blatantly ignored the law when it developed this rule for purely political purposes. Chairman Graves, Senator Cramer, Senator Capito, and I worked hard over the past year to stop this power grab, and I’m very pleased the Trump Administration is acting decisively to put an end to this rule,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Vice Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR).

“The Biden Administration’s greenhouse gas emissions performance standards were a clear example of federal overreach.  I am pleased President Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy have decided to dismiss the pending case once and for all.  The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, through the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, will work with the Trump Administration to further roll back restrictive Green New Deal policies and focus instead on proven infrastructure and market-driven technologies to strengthen the American economy” said Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC).