GREEN Streets Act
- Bill Number
- S. 2890
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Transportation and Public Works
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T21:49:37Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The GREEN Streets Act (S. 2890) aims to integrate climate change mitigation into U.S. transportation planning and funding. It requires transportation planners at federal, state, and local levels to prioritize projects and strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (like carbon dioxide from vehicles), decrease vehicle miles traveled per person, and enhance the resilience of roads and transit systems against climate impacts. The goal is to promote sustainable, low-emission transportation while improving access to public transit and active travel options like walking and biking.
Key Provisions
- Performance Measures for Public Roads (Section 2): Adds a new national goal to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving transportation system resilience. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation must establish minimum standards for states, including:
- Decreasing per-person vehicle miles traveled through zoning changes, investments in sidewalks, bike lanes, public transit, and intercity bus/train services.
- Enhancing road resilience to climate risks (e.g., flooding or extreme weather).
- Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions on public roads, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Measuring emissions, air pollutants (including noise), and other environmental impacts.
States must set or update performance targets within one year of federal rulemaking updates.
- Analysis for Road Capacity Expansion Projects (Section 3): Applies to both metropolitan (urban) and statewide/nonmetropolitan (rural) planning processes. Key requirements include:
- Adding planning goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and per-person vehicle miles traveled.
- For "covered projects" (those adding traffic lanes or receiving $25 million+ in federal funds), planners must analyze and publicly report:
- Impacts on vehicle miles traveled, emissions, and non-car trips (e.g., biking, walking, transit, or rail).
- Effects on "environmental justice communities" (defined as areas with high concentrations of communities of color, low-income residents, or Tribal/Indigenous groups that face disproportionate health or environmental harms), using tools like the EPA's environmental justice mapping tool.
- Before approving new highway lanes for single-occupancy cars, states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) must demonstrate:
- Progress in maintaining existing roads in good condition.
- The project supports state performance targets and is more cost-effective (via benefit-cost analysis) than alternatives like operational fixes, public transit expansions, or freight improvements.
- A public plan for ongoing maintenance.
- Investment Requirements to Meet Performance Goals (Section 4): Ties federal highway funding to climate performance. If a state fails to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets:
- It must spend 33% of its apportioned funds under the National Highway Performance Program and 10% under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program on targeted projects (e.g., transit expansions, bus/rail improvements, fare reductions, active transportation like bike paths, micromobility like e-scooters, or land-use changes for denser, transit-oriented development).
- The required spending percentage increases by 2% annually until targets are met, and it remains in place until compliance is achieved.
- Transit Accessibility Standards (Section 5): Expands federal rules for transit asset management to include accessibility. The Secretary must establish national standards and performance measures within one year for:
- Transit accessibility (share of jobs, healthcare, groceries, schools, etc., reachable by public transit in 45 minutes).
- Transit stop distance (average distance to the nearest stop).
- Transit mode share (percentage of trips using public transit).
- First/last-mile access (connections from trip start/end to transit stops).
- Accessibility for people with disabilities (based on federal guidelines).
Covered entities (states and urban areas with 250,000+ population) must set targets and report initial performance, including data on sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes. The Secretary provides technical assistance.
- Reports and Technical Assistance (Section 6): Requires covered entities to submit ongoing progress reports every 180 days after the initial report, including target revisions. The Secretary offers tools and support to all entities, including rural, Tribal, and smaller communities (though these are not mandated to report or comply).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Amends Title 23 (highways) and Title 49 (transit) of the U.S. Code to embed greenhouse gas reduction and vehicle miles traveled decreases as core planning factors, previously focused more on congestion, safety, and infrastructure maintenance.
- Introduces mandatory analyses and public reporting for highway expansions, shifting from optional environmental reviews to required climate and equity assessments.
- Links federal funding obligations directly to environmental performance, a new penalty mechanism not previously tied to emissions targets.
- Expands transit rules (Section 5326) from asset management (e.g., maintaining buses and rails) to include accessibility metrics, with new definitions and reporting for urban areas.
- Updates rulemaking processes to require periodic revisions incorporating these changes, ensuring ongoing adaptation to climate goals.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The Department of Transportation (DOT) and EPA will need to develop new standards, tools, and oversight, increasing administrative workload. States and MPOs face stricter planning and reporting requirements, potentially delaying projects but encouraging sustainable investments.
- Citizens: Could lead to cleaner air, reduced traffic congestion, and better access to transit, jobs, and services, especially in underserved environmental justice communities. Rural and Tribal areas may benefit from voluntary technical assistance, though mandates apply mainly to urban/state levels. Drivers might see fewer new highways but more multimodal options.
- International Relations: By aiming for net-zero emissions on public roads, the U.S. could strengthen its global climate commitments (e.g., under the Paris Agreement), potentially improving diplomatic standing on environmental issues without direct foreign policy changes.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- States and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs): Primary implementers, responsible for planning, analysis, target-setting, and fund allocation.
- Local Governments and Transit Agencies: Must integrate new goals into projects, with urban areas (250,000+ population) facing reporting mandates.
- Environmental Justice Communities: Protected through required impact analyses, benefiting from reduced pollution and improved transit access.
- Citizens and Commuters: Everyday users of roads, transit, bikes, and pedestrians, particularly in low-income, minority, or rural/Tribal areas.
- Federal Agencies: DOT (lead on standards and funding) and EPA (consultation on emissions).
- Environmental and Advocacy Groups: Community-based organizations provide input on analyses, gaining influence over project approvals.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Builds on existing federal authority over highway and transit funding (via the Interstate Highway System and Federal-Aid Highway Act), using conditional spending to enforce environmental goals without new taxes. Definitions like "environmental justice community" align with EPA guidelines, promoting equity under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act.
- Constitutional: Relies on Congress's spending power (Article I, Section 8) to attach conditions to federal grants, which courts have upheld if not coercive (e.g., South Dakota v. Dole precedent). No direct challenges anticipated, but states might litigate if penalties are seen as overly burdensome.
- Political: Advances progressive climate policy by prioritizing emissions reductions over traditional highway expansion, potentially sparking debates over federal overreach into state land-use and zoning. Could influence future infrastructure bills, rewarding sustainable investments while pressuring non-compliant states.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- 2025-09-18: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Generating Resilient, Environmentally Exceptional National Streets Act — issued 2025-09-18 — PDF (23 pages)