# What This Bill Actually Does

Congress is trying to block a new federal rule about measuring how well highways are performing, specifically one that tracks greenhouse gas emissions from the National Highway System. Think of it like this: the Federal Highway Administration created a new scorecard to grade how highways are doing, and one of the grades measures pollution from cars and trucks. This bill is Congress saying "we don't want that particular grade on the scorecard."

This is what's called a "disapproval resolution," which is a special congressional power that lets lawmakers reject rules created by government agencies. It's basically Congress overruling the Federal Highway Administration's decision to include emissions tracking as part of how they evaluate highway performance. If this bill passes, the emissions measure would be removed from the performance evaluation system, even though the rule was already finalized and in effect.

The practical impact depends on which side of this issue you care about. If you're concerned about climate change and want the government tracking transportation pollution, this bill would be bad news because it removes that measurement tool. If you think the federal government shouldn't be measuring or regulating highway emissions, you'd see this as a win. Either way, it affects how the government monitors and reports on whether our highway system is environmentally sustainable, though it doesn't directly change what happens on the roads themselves or how much you pay for gas.

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".

Cramer, Kevin

This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Federal Highway&nbsp;Administration (FHWA) titled National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure and published on December 7, 2023.Under current law, each state must set targets for and report on the progress of performance metrics related to the U.S. surface transportation system. The rule establishes a specific measure for assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation (GHG measure). The rule also requires state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations&nbsp;to establish declining carbon dioxide (CO2) targets for the GHG measure and report to the FHWA on their progress towards achieving these targets.