State transportation officials and Georgetown Climate Center welcome final rule on tracking GHG pollution from federal highways

The Georgetown Climate Center and officials from states leading on clean transportation today welcomed a newly finalized rule from the U.S. Department of Transportation that will provide a nationally consistent framework for state and local transportation agencies to measure and track climate-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution from vehicles traveling on our nation’s highways. The final rule from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), titled “National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure” (link), will play a key role in the federal government’s efforts to account for and encourage reductions in GHG emissions from the transportation sector, the largest contributor to climate pollution in the U.S., and to improve the overall performance of our highway system.

"The Federal Highway Administration is taking an important step in our fight against climate change," said Kate Zyla, Executive Director of the Georgetown Climate Center. "We know that investments in low-carbon transportation provide greater access to cleaner, safer and more equitable transportation options for everyone. The GHG pollution reduction measurements and targets that will be developed through this performance measure are urgently needed, and will be valuable tools for state and local transportation planners. 

"Given the long-lasting nature of our transportation infrastructure, it is critical for our state and local transportation planners and decision-makers to be a part of the climate solution and to have access to data that enables them to do so."

Key benefits of the new FHWA rule include:

• Transparency and data-driven decision making: tracking and reporting on the GHG performance of federally-funded transportation projects will provide more transparency regarding how public funds are spent and whether those projects are helping or hindering efforts to reduce climate pollution.
• Flexibility and innovation: the rule recognizes the diverse transportation challenges faced by different regions of the country and enables state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) flexibility to tailor implementation to meet local circumstances.
• Better outcomes for people and the planet: Through this rule, state DOTs and MPOs will set declining targets for future GHG emissions from vehicles traveling on the National Highway System. Those targets can guide future investments in projects that provide essential public services like transit, maintenance of existing roads and bridges, protected walkways for pedestrians, and electric trucks and buses, cut carbon pollution, and also improve air quality for overburdened communities.

The GHG performance measure released today updates FHWA’s long-standing Transportation Performance Management program, providing state DOTs and MPOs  with a uniform framework to measure GHG emissions from the National Highway System and the flexibility to establish declining targets for future emissions. One year ago, in response to FHWA’s proposed rule, leaders of state departments of transportation from across the country supported the proposal in a joint comment letter, noting that “[t]he proposed GHG measure is similar and complementary to the other national measures that DOTs already use to assess performance.” The final rule establishes a consistent method for estimating GHG emissions and reporting and thereby supports U.S. efforts to achieve economy-wide emission reduction targets in 2030 and 2050.

As analysis conducted by the Georgetown Climate Center has shown, investments of $600 billion through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law transportation funding programs have the potential to substantially reduce GHG emissions from transportation, but the net effect could also be an increase in emissions. With this rule, climate pollution will be accounted for and tracked during existing federal-state transportation planning processes. States can continue to use the flexibility embedded in federally-funded transportation programs to prioritize investments in less polluting and more equitable transportation projects.

The Georgetown Climate Center is helping states and the federal government as they  implement this rule through ongoing research and analysis, and by developing tools to help inform decision making by state and local transportation agencies.

Here is what senior state transportation officials are saying about the rule:

Connecticut: 

“We can’t improve what we don’t measure. The final rule will guide our agency’s work in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the impacts of climate change. CTDOT is proud to support this final rule and will continue to collaborate with FHWA and our peer state DOTs to reduce our state’s GHG emissions.” – Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation 

California:

“Caltrans strongly supports the new federal greenhouse gas performance measure as a tool to track and accelerate transportation sector emissions reductions to achieve California’s ambitious statewide goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. We look forward to adopting and integrating realistic targets that reaffirm our Department’s dedication to supporting sustainable, equitable, and multi-modal travel options for all Californians, while collaborating with our partners to meet them.” – Tony Tavares, Director, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

Maryland: 

“Achieving Maryland’s bold climate goals will require leadership by MDOT. A first step to cutting carbon pollution from the transportation sector is measuring emissions and setting specific and declining emission reduction targets tied to our investment program. That’s the cornerstone of any credible strategy to tackle climate change and I thank USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt for charging states and metropolitan planning organizations with the responsibility to lay the foundation by making a final greenhouse gas performance measurement rule. Maryland will lead the nation by example by implementing this commonsense rule right away. In fact, we just took a big step forward by publishing MDOT’s first-ever Carbon Reduction Strategy, detailing just how we’ll curb carbon pollution.” – Paul J. Wiedefeld, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)