Carper Statement on Biden-Harris Administration’s Proposed Transportation Emissions Reduction Framework

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today released the following statement on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) proposed rule for states and metropolitan areas to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Meeting our climate obligations requires focusing on the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. economy — the transportation sector. Congress created a national goal of making our roads, highways, and bridges environmentally sustainable a decade ago. At that time, we directed the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a system for states to measure their performance towards that goal — an authority the department has rightly used to propose the establishment of greenhouse gas performance measures.

“This proposal will fulfill the original congressional intent of performance management and improve the functioning of our highway programs. Importantly, it will help protect Americans from deadly extreme weather events such as heatwaves, storms, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. I am glad to see the Biden-Harris Administration take this regulatory step.

“In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we provided resources to ensure that states would develop their own plans for reducing transportation emissions. These programs will work together to help us achieve a more sustainable future on our highways.”