In response to the end of the public comment period for the Federal Highway Administration’s proposed Greenhouse Gas Performance Management Rule, Evergreen Action State Policy Director Justin Balik released the following statement:
“The overwhelming public support for the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed rule makes it crystal clear that Americans understand the importance of cleaning up the most polluting sector of our economy—our transportation sector. Billions of flexible formula dollars and clean transportation grants are already flowing to states from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), soon to be followed by additional resources from the Inflation Reduction Act. Now is the time for states to align their transportation spending with the realities of climate change. This federal rule that requires state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to simply measure transportation emissions and set targets for their continued decline is commonsense and long overdue. At the same time, DOT must stand ready to support states with the assistance necessary to ensure meaningful implementation of this rule, while holding them accountable for setting meaningful reduction targets.
“We can’t sit idly by as the status quo of gasoline powered vehicles and ever expanding highway networks inflict irrevocable harm on the planet and frontline communities plagued by toxic pollution. DOT and state leaders across the country have an enormous opportunity to help ensure federal funds are allocated towards a modern, equitable and sustainable transportation system. They must get to work.”
Evergreen Action collected and submitted 4,935 comments to DOT on the proposed Greenhouse Gas Performance Management Rule. Earlier this year, Evergreen Collaborative and Transportation for America released Four Ways States and the Biden Administration Can Curb Transportation Pollution, outlining why this rule is a critical tool to foster accountability and steer infrastructure investments toward better climate outcomes. You can read more about it here.