In a move that is significant for environmental conservation efforts in the U.S., the United States Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (DOT) has promulgated a final rule focusing on the tracking of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
The rule is described as providing several key government organizations a national framework to follow up with GHG emissions. The organizations that will utilize this framework include State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).
Detailed information regarding this final rule by the DOT, as well as its implications for the involved organizations, can be found in an article on JDSupra.
The creation of this rule puts a renewed focus on the role of transportation in the GHG problem – a sector that is often overlooked when considering ways to reduce emissions. The adoption of a national framework should provide increased consistency and accountability in the reporting of emissions and set a new standard in environmental consequence for transportation infrastructures.
This development is likely to have significant implications for legal professionals working in the transport sector, as well as those involved in environmental law more broadly. The establishment of this new mandatory emissions assessment and tracking could have wide-ranging effects on compliance requirements and potential future litigation.