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US Senate votes to decline rule to cut greenhouse gas emissions on highways

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution that would reverse a federal agency's rule needing states to determine and set declining targets for greenhouse gas emissions from cars utilizing the nationwide highway system.

The Federal Highway Administration guidelines were stated illegal last month by a federal judge but the decision could be reversed upon appeal.

President Joe Biden's administration aspires to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net no by 2050 in an effort to prevent potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change.

The Senate voted 53-47 in favor of a resolution that would reject the guidelines, with Democrats Sherrod Brown, Jon Tester and Joe Manchin joining Republican politicians. The U.S. Home of Agents has yet to vote on the measure.

The White Home said Biden would ban the step if it is sent out to him, and Republicans would likely be not able to muster the votes required to overturn a veto.

The White House kept in mind the transportation sector is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority of coming from vehicles on U.S. roadways. In a statement opposing the Senate action, it called the rule a common-sense, good-government tool for transparently managing emissions from transport.

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito stated the administration lacked authority to compose the rules and stated the vote is a clear message to the administration that we will continue to hold them liable for executive overreach.

Last month U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who was selected by former President Donald Trump, stated he agreed with Texas' suit the rule was unapproved.

The FHWA has noted it did not mandate how low targets should be and rather offered state transport departments versatility to set targets that were suitable as long as the targets aimed to reduce emissions over time.

The company said it would examine whether states make considerable development towards achieving their targets however the guideline does not enforce penalties for those who missed their targets.

The FHWA stated the guideline was necessary to the Biden administration target of net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. The last policy did not need states to set decreasing targets to align with the 2050 objective.

In 2018, the Trump administration rescinded a rule issued under previous President Barack Obama needing states to track greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on the country's highways.

(source: Reuters)