Trump administration plans to ease fuel economy rules for new cars

The Trump administration plans to broadly relax federal fuel economy rules for new cars and light trucks, the California Post reports. This would give US car manufacturers more freedom when building gasoline-powered vehicles.

Donald Trump announced the decision on his Truth Social network, where he wrote that he had “just approved new fuel economy standards.” Transport Minister Sean Duffy said the government would formally announce the change on Monday.

Trump's rollback of fuel economy regulations is an environmentally damaging move during the election campaign. He wants the prices of new American cars to fall by thousands of dollars, i.e. noticeably, before the midterms. Under the Biden administration, automakers had a fuel economy requirement of 50.4 miles per gallon (3.7 liters). A proposal submitted in December would have lowered the requirement for 2031 model year cars and light trucks to an average of 34.5 miles per gallon.

California pays the highest price

The decision is particularly important in California, as the state has been pursuing stricter emissions standards for automobiles for years and, like many European countries, is promoting electric vehicles. Congress already blocked California from setting its own, stricter limits on car emissions last year, further limiting the state's ability to determine the direction of the auto industry. In February, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted all federal limits on climate-damaging car emissions. Congress also eliminated tax breaks of up to $7,500 for buyers of new electric vehicles.

Trump's government has recently come under criticism for high gasoline prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.48 on Saturday, up from $3.14 a gallon a year ago. Motorists in California pay a “California surcharge,” which includes higher state use taxes, a higher sales tax and local fees for state-specific climate programs. The price of gasoline there recently rose to $6.33 per gallon; a year ago it was still at $4.64.