A federal court overturned a Biden administration rule Wednesday night that required states and cities to set transportation climate targets.
Judge James Hendrix, a former Trump appointee, sided with the Republican-led states that sued over the rule, saying the Biden administration lacked the jurisdiction to order them to set the targets.
Hendrix contended that the administration was not entitled under law to use environmental benchmarks in states’ assessment of highway “performance.”
He noted that the legislation that states that the “performance of the Interstate/National Highway Systems” takes into account “the infrastructure’s effectiveness in facilitating travel, commerce, and national defense—not environmental outputs of vehicles using the systems.”
The rule, from the Federal Highway Administration, required state and local transit agencies to set targets for cutting planet-warming emissions and report on its progress. It also established a nationwide framework for calculating and reporting transportation-related emissions.
A representative for the Highway Administration, which is part of the Transportation Department, stated that the agency was analyzing the decision and determining the next steps. The spokeswoman emphasized the administration’s commitment to combating climate change.
Meanwhile, legislative Republicans celebrated the court’s decision.
“This was a clear case of blatant overreach by the Biden Administration from the beginning, and we commend the Court for its ruling,” Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) stated a joint statement.
They referred to the measure as a “unlawful attempt to circumvent Congress and force this one-size-fits-all burden upon every state and community across the country.”