Today the federal government issued a new Greenhouse Gas Rule. It creates a national reporting standard for State DOTs and Metropolitan Planning Organizations – a way to measure what impact transportation projects are having on our future. From Georgia to Montana to California, Americans work hard for their families and should be able to count on clean air and the ability to get around how they choose. 

In the U.S., most funding for transportation projects flows to the states from the federal government. For too long, many states – influenced by lobbyists for the road-building industry – have spent this funding almost exclusively on widening roads instead of on necessary road repairs or the transit, biking, and walking projects that could give us healthy, clean, and affordable ways to move around. Up until now, states haven’t been required to track whether these decisions are making our air dirtier or our communities more vulnerable to weather extremes. 

States across the country are currently selecting which transportation projects to invest in, using the billions of dollars available from the bipartisan infrastructure law. Americans deserve to know if that money is leading to a cleaner, healthier future for our families or if road expansion projects are actually making things worse. 

Comments on the rule were 3,000 to 1 in favor and that’s no surprise; the public wants government accountability and the new Greenhouse Gas rule will help us measure progress and set new transportation priorities. 

We now call on Governors across the country to actually implement the rule – and get us the information we need to make better funding decisions that will allow our families and communities to fully thrive.