DETROIT (AP) – Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in rules Friday that Biden-era fuel economy standards for gas-powered cars and trucks were illegal and that they could reverse and reset the rules.
Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill, automakers could be exposed to less pressure from regulators to eliminate penalties beyond standards that regulate vehicles must drive gallons of fuel. Ultimately, the country’s use of electric vehicles may slow down.
The move coincides with the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to cut federal aid for EVs. President Donald Trump has pledged to finish what he called EVs “a mission.” This misrepresents the former president’s target for half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. EVs do not use gasoline or emit greenhouse gases that warm the planet.
California and other states have imposed rules that require all new passenger cars sold within the state to be zero emissions by 2035, but there is no federal policy that does not require car companies to sell EVS.
When he took office, Biden placed increasingly strict emissions standards on cars and trucks. He included the use of EVs in the calculation of rules. This allegedly claims that the Trump administration and the auto industry are illegal and that it is too expensive for automakers to meet.
The Ministry of Transport said on Friday that the previous administration “ignored statutory requirements” that took into account EVs when setting the standards.
“We make our vehicles easier to manufacture in the US at a more affordable price,” Duffy said.
The revised rules themselves do not change existing standards, but they allow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to adjust in the coming months. Duffy put pressure on federal agencies earlier this year to reverse fuel economy rules as quickly as possible.
Under the Biden administration, automakers had to rise from an average of 50 miles (81 kilometers) of gasoline (63 kilometers) to save 70 billion gallons (26.5 billion litres) between 2050 and 2050, from about 39 miles (63 kilometers) per gallon of gas vehicles by 2031.
Rules finalised in 2024 increased by 2% per year for all model year passenger cars from 2027 to 2031, and 2% per year for SUVs and other mild trucks from 2029 to 2031.
Mileage regulations since the energy crisis of the 1970s work in parallel with EPA restrictions on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation is the largest source of emissions that warm the country’s planets, with cars and trucks making up more than half of them.
In recent years, automakers have been producing gasoline-fueled vehicles that are more efficient and mileage-proven.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the leading automaker, is known as Duffy’s announcement “Assistance Development,” and adds “important clarity” to federal mileage regulations.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the process of exploring the world,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the group.
However, Catherine Garcia, director of Clean Transport for all the Sierra Club programs, said the Transportation Department’s actions will increase costs for Americans and increase pollution.
“If we reduce fuel efficiency on our vehicles, we hurt our families by forcing our families to pay more with the pump,” she said. “It will result in fewer clean vehicle options for consumers, squeezing your wallet, putting your health at risk, and increasing climate pollution.”
Meanwhile, Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee added the proposed language to the Pending Budget Bill, which removes fines that punish automakers who do not meet fuel economy standards on gas-powered vehicles.
Automakers can purchase regulatory units under their trading program if they do not meet the standards. EV manufacturers like Tesla, which do not rely on gasoline, have earned credits that can be sold to other automakers. The arrangement has brought millions of dollars in revenue from other EV manufacturers like Tesla and Libian to billions of dollars.
The memo and bill text this week saw Tesla owners Elon Musk and Trump engage in public spats that were published online, and Trump suggests that Musk “developed the issue” with his budget bill as it rolls back tax credits for EVs. Musk disputes that.
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Daly reported from Washington.
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