A federal court in Texas has struck down a new Federal Highway Administration rule establishing greenhouse gas emission performance measures for state Departments of Transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.
On Wednesday, March 27, Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas federal court granted Texas’ motion for summary judgment in a case against the U.S. DOT and FHWA. Hendrix ruled that Congress never authorized FHWA to install a rule establishing transportation-related greenhouse gas performance measures.
The court’s final judgment effectively halts FHWA’s rule targeting vehicle-related greenhouse gas emission, which was finalized in December and went into effect in January. It also addresses a similar lawsuit filed by more than 20 Republican-controlled states. Reporting under the new rule was scheduled to begin on Friday, March 29.