US President Donald Trump has announced plans to repeal Biden-era fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, significantly weakening regulations that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
Under the current rules, set by the Biden administration, automakers were required to increase the fuel efficiency of passenger cars and light trucks to about 50 miles per gallon by 2031. However, Trump is now proposing new standards that would only require vehicles to achieve about 34 miles per gallon by the same deadline.
The move has been met with criticism from environmental groups, who argue that it will lead to increased fuel consumption and higher emissions, exacerbating climate change. "Gutting the Cafe program would make cars burn more gas and American families burn more cash," said Katherine García, director of the Clean Transportation for All program at the Sierra Club.
Automakers, however, are welcoming the move, citing concerns over the costs and complexity of meeting current fuel efficiency standards. According to Sean Duffy, Trump's transportation secretary, the new rules will "allow automakers to make vehicles that Americans want to purchase, not vehicles that Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg want them to build." This is seen as a way to promote more affordable cars on the market.
However, opponents of the plan argue that it will have unintended consequences, including driving up costs for consumers at the pump. "Trump's action will feed America's destructive use of oil, while hamstringing us in the green tech race against foreign carmakers," said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's Safe Climate Transport Campaign.
The move is part of a broader effort by Trump to roll back regulations on the transportation sector, including relaxing auto tailpipe emissions rules and terminating consumer credits for electric vehicle purchases.
Under the current rules, set by the Biden administration, automakers were required to increase the fuel efficiency of passenger cars and light trucks to about 50 miles per gallon by 2031. However, Trump is now proposing new standards that would only require vehicles to achieve about 34 miles per gallon by the same deadline.
The move has been met with criticism from environmental groups, who argue that it will lead to increased fuel consumption and higher emissions, exacerbating climate change. "Gutting the Cafe program would make cars burn more gas and American families burn more cash," said Katherine García, director of the Clean Transportation for All program at the Sierra Club.
Automakers, however, are welcoming the move, citing concerns over the costs and complexity of meeting current fuel efficiency standards. According to Sean Duffy, Trump's transportation secretary, the new rules will "allow automakers to make vehicles that Americans want to purchase, not vehicles that Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg want them to build." This is seen as a way to promote more affordable cars on the market.
However, opponents of the plan argue that it will have unintended consequences, including driving up costs for consumers at the pump. "Trump's action will feed America's destructive use of oil, while hamstringing us in the green tech race against foreign carmakers," said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's Safe Climate Transport Campaign.
The move is part of a broader effort by Trump to roll back regulations on the transportation sector, including relaxing auto tailpipe emissions rules and terminating consumer credits for electric vehicle purchases.
they're always trying to make money off our planet. this new fuel efficiency standard is like, super weak. i mean 34 miles per gallon? that's not even a car 
we should be striving for at least 60 miles per gallon by now. and what's the point of promoting "affordable cars" if it just means more gas guzzlers on the road? let's focus on making electric vehicles more accessible, not just pushing out profits 
, I'm interested in how this will affect car prices and the environment... it's like they're playing with fire here, you know? 
I'm really not sure why they're making this change... 34 miles per gallon just seems like a step backwards to me 
. The environmental groups have a point - more fuel consumption means higher emissions, which isn't good for the planet 
. And then there's the argument that it'll drive up costs for consumers at the pump... I don't want to be stuck paying more for gas when I could be using an electric vehicle 
. It just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.
, this news is really concerning 
... like what's gonna happen to our planet if we just keep pumping out all those greenhouse gases? 
And what about American families? They're already struggling to make ends meet, the last thing they need is higher gas prices 
they deserve better than a planet on fire because we couldn't even get it together to make some decent fuel efficiency standards 
like what are they thinking?! Repealing fuel efficiency standards? That's just gonna make cars more gas-guzzling and worse for the environment 
And now they're saying it'll make cars more affordable? please, that's just a bunch of corporate spin 
They're gonna make cars less fuel efficient? That's just so not sustainable! 
I mean, 34 miles per gallon seems super low for me. What if people start driving more and using more gas? It'll just contribute to climate change and pollution. 
.
.
. We need to think about our future and not just focus on short-term gains 
. It's a classic case of "divide and conquer" - if you're not making money from electric cars, then the focus is on gas-guzzlers 
. The Sierra Club is right, gutting the fuel efficiency standards will just make things worse in the long run. And what's up with this 'Americans want to purchase' thing? Sounds like a bunch of corporate speak to me 
. This whole thing feels like a recipe for disaster...