Trump says he approved rollback of Biden-era fuel economy rules, cutting mpg targets

Trump says he approved rollback of Biden-era fuel economy rules, cutting mpg targets

WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved new fuel economy standards that would roll back Biden-era vehicle efficiency rules, a shift he said will lower vehicle prices and give automakers more room to build the kinds of vehicles many Americans buy.

The final rule was not immediately released, and the administration has not publicly detailed the new requirements.

A prior proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would lower the fleetwide fuel-economy target for cars and light trucks to about 34.5 miles per gallon by model year 2031. That would be down from 50.4 mpg under Biden-era standards.

Trump said the change would lower vehicle prices, save families thousands on new cars and help automakers expand U.S. manufacturing. The rollback is expected to give automakers more flexibility to produce gasoline-powered pickups and SUVs, which generally have lower fuel efficiency but higher profit margins.

The Biden-era standards were designed to cut fuel use and emissions while encouraging more fuel-efficient, hybrid and electric vehicles. The rules did not require consumers to buy electric vehicles.

NHTSA previously estimated its proposed rollback could reduce the average upfront price of a new vehicle by about $930. But that proposal was also projected to increase fuel consumption by roughly 100 billion gallons through 2050, add about $185 billion in fuel costs and raise carbon dioxide emissions by about 5%.

Environmental groups criticized the move, arguing that less fuel-efficient vehicles could mean higher costs at the gas pump and more pollution.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a “major victory for America’s auto workers” was coming Monday, suggesting further details or an announcement may follow.