A federal judge in Texas has invalidated a Biden administration climate regulation targeting U.S. highways, marking a significant legal defeat for the government’s environmental strategy. The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration had issued the rule in December 2023, mandating states to track and report greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on national highways. Furthermore, the directive required states to set and achieve diminishing carbon dioxide emission targets.
Judge James Wesley Hendrix, appointed by former President Trump, sided with Texas in the legal challenge against the rule, declaring it unauthorized. The judgment underscores the ongoing legal and policy battles over federal environmental regulations and states’ rights.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had previously lauded the rule for offering states a “clear and consistent framework” for monitoring carbon pollution while allowing them the autonomy to establish their own climate objectives. However, Texas, spearheaded by Attorney General Ken Paxton, contested the rule’s legality, asserting that the Department of Transportation lacked the statutory authority for such a mandate. Paxton’s office criticized the rule as arbitrary, capricious, and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause due to its restrictive conditions on the use of federal funds.
This ruling arrives amidst Texas’s broader legal confrontations with the Biden administration over climate and energy policies, including a separate lawsuit by a coalition of 16 Republican states against the Department of Energy’s suspension of significant liquefied natural gas export projects. Attorney General Paxton has accused the administration of overstepping legal boundaries and undermining the Texas economy and the constitutional framework through its environmental actions.
The Department of Transportation has not yet responded to requests for comment on the ruling. This legal development highlights the contentious landscape of U.S. environmental policy, where federal initiatives face robust challenges from states with differing priorities and legal interpretations.