Statement of Administration Policy: S.J. Res. 61 - A Joint Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the Rule Submitted by the Federal Highway Administration Relating to "National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure"

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)
(Sen. Cramer, R-ND and 49 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly opposes S.J. Res. 61, which would disapprove of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) rule that establishes a national performance management framework for measuring, reporting, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with highway travel. The transportation sector is the largest source of GHG emissions in the United States, and the vast majority of emissions from this sector come from light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle travel on highways. States already make wide use of 17 existing performance measures for highways such as measures dedicated to improving highway safety and roadway conditions. These performance measures help States and localities assess progress toward achieving national highway performance goals set by Congress in 2012. They also help allocate transportation resources effectively, increase transparency for the public, and ensure responsible use of taxpayer dollars. If enacted, S.J. Res. 61 would remove GHG emissions management from the suite of national highway performance measures - in other words, removing a common-sense, good-government tool for transparently managing transportation-related GHG emissions and informing transportation investment decisions. As part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, more than $27 billion in federal funding was provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to support transportation projects that reduce transportation-related GHG emissions in ways that boost efficiency, create good-paying jobs, and improve health and wellbeing for all Americans. The FHWA final rule issued last year pairs these investments with a flexible framework to help State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) evaluate the impacts of these investments and assess progress on achieving GHG emissions-reductions targets that states and MPOs set for themselves. The rule would further the performance of the National Highway System (including the Interstate System) by empowering states to design transportation systems and strategies that work for their communities, and it does not impose federal penalties or change existing requirements for highway projects. If enacted, S.J. Res. 61 would make it harder for state and local transportation authorities and the public to access nationally consistent and transparent data about transportation-related GHG emissions — making their transportation decisions less transparent and less informed.

If the President were presented with S.J. Res. 61, he would veto it.