The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ latest action by U.S. President Donald Trump dismantles the fuel economy standards that were tightened under Joe Biden, substantially relaxing the requirements for gasoline and diesel vehicles. Trump reverses Biden’s fuel economy standards by cutting fleetwide fuel-efficiency targets, as well as doing away with penalties for non-compliance, which is a change that opponents argue compromises the idea of cleaner transportation that has been sought for a long time.

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What the Rollback Means

As per the initial Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, car manufacturers had to increase the efficiency of their vehicles to the point where, in 2031, the average fuel consumption for new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. would be close to 50 miles per gallon (mpg).

By doing the rollback, the Trump administration is setting the new target for the average fuel economy of the car fleet to around 34–34.5 mpg in 2031. In addition, just a few months ago, the government decided to scrap the fines that would be imposed on automakers in case their fleet averages were below the standard; thus, in practice, it is taking away the enforcement mechanism from the rules.

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Environmental and Public Health Concerns

Environment and public health-focused groups are of the opinion that the regressive actions in fuel economy standards will speed up the return to dependence on gasoline-powered vehicles, increase fuel use, and, as a result, release more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, as well as pollutants that affect health.

When fuel efficiency is less than optimal, more fuel is used per unit of distance, which, in turn, leads to increased emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter – a combination that contributes to the deterioration of air pollution and the increase of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

They further argue that the decision to scale back the support for such initiatives will lead to less research and development in clean technologies and make it challenging to achieve long-term targets for reducing global warming.

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A Broader Pattern of Regulatory Rollbacks

This proposal is the most recent one in a series of reversals of policies under Trump that affect climate-related regulations, such as the loosening of tailpipe emissions standards, the termination of electric vehicle subsidies, and the prevention of state-level mandates for zero-emission vehicle sales.

Trump reverses Biden’s fuel economy standards and is not just a simple tweaking of regulatory thresholds but rather a complete withdrawal from aggressive emissions reduction goals — a move that his supporters see as a pragmatic way of relieving the burden of costs. At the same time, his opponents warn that it endangers air quality, public health, and the achievement of longer-term environmental ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌objectives.

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