The USA is significantly easing fuel-saving requirements for cars

The Trump administration is overturning Biden-era guidelines for cars and trucks. This is supposed to make new vehicles cheaper, but it harms the climate.

All developments in the news blog

In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our news blog.

Important updates

The USA is significantly easing fuel-saving requirements for cars

China and US agree to cut tariffs worth $30 billion

Tiktok reaches a settlement with the US state of Alabama and averts litigation

Republicans fail with redistricting for Missouri

Trump wants to withhold funds approved by Congress

Lucia Geier

The USA is significantly easing fuel-saving requirements for cars

The US government wants to significantly relax fuel-saving requirements for cars and trucks by 2031, thereby reversing an important climate protection initiative of the previous government. The U.S. Department of Transportation will finalize the new rules on Monday, government officials said. President Donald Trump said he approved the new requirements that would lower the price of new vehicles. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it a “huge victory for American auto workers.”

According to estimates by the ministry itself, the new rules will make new vehicles cheaper, but will also increase fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for decades. By 2031, the fleet average should be 14.7 kilometers per liter; under President Joe Biden, 21.4 kilometers per liter was planned.

Trump's move comes at a time when US drivers are struggling with sharp increases in fuel prices since the war between the US, Israel and Iran began in late February. “Easing the requirements will accelerate what (Trump) has already done: handing over the future of clean technologies to China and forcing Americans to pay more at the pump,” said Pete Buttigieg, who led the Transportation Department under Biden.

Lucia Geier