In 2021, the US Congress provided 4.6 billion dollars to the states in order to reduce car exhaust emissions and minimize the effects of climate change.
The state of Florida was to receive 320 million dollars, as the third largest state receiving funds to reduce emissions.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has begun drafting a plan to set up parking for truckers at rest stops, which workers said could fill a statewide shortage of parking spaces, which has made drivers drive on the roads for longer and are looking for a place to park their cars, leading to increased pollution.
The plan also proposes spending money on things like electric buses, roundabouts and detours, which reduce the amount of time cars parked at traffic lights emit greenhouse emissions. But last month, Jared Perdue, Florida’s Secretary of Transportation, sent a letter to the US Department of Transportation refusing to participate in the federal program.
In the speech, Perdue said that the program is an example of the excesses of the government, which is the continuous politicization of our roads, ” echoing statements made by Governor Ron DeSantis, who said that climate change is a “politicization of the weather”.
