US administration rolls back clean‑car fuel standards for 2022‑2031

The Trump administration announced on Monday that it will roll back clean‑car fuel‑economy rules covering model years 2022 through 2031.

The Department of Transportation said the new “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” rule relaxes requirements for gasoline‑powered cars and light trucks, reversing a Biden‑era push to speed up electric‑vehicle adoption. The agency estimates the change will cut the average price of a new vehicle by $1,300 and save consumers $138 billion over five years.

Transportation accounts for about 28 % of U.S. greenhouse‑gas emissions, according to the EPA. The rollback follows earlier Trump moves that reduced the government’s ability to track, report and limit emissions from cars and trucks.

President Donald Trump claimed the less stringent mileage standards will “take the waste out of building cars in America” and lower costs for families. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised the change, saying it ends an “illegal mandate” that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles.

Environmental groups condemned the rule. Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity warned it ignores clean‑technology feasibility and will raise fuel consumption, while Sierra Club director Katherine García said the looser standards will make driving more expensive.

The Biden administration had previously raised fuel‑efficiency targets by up to 10 % for certain years. The Trump proposal would instead lower the 2022 standard and raise it only 0.25‑0.5 % annually through 2031, projecting an increase of about 100 billion gallons of fuel use and $185 billion in fuel spending by 2050, along with a 5 % rise in CO₂ emissions.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Domenico Adornato / Pexels.