The Transportation Department under President Donald Trump is moving to reverse more climate policies implemented by President Joe Biden. Under proposed rulemaking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks would be reduced to an average of 34.5 miles per gallon in model year 2031, down from the 50.4 miles per gallon standard that was part of Biden’s plan to encourage greater adoption of electric vehicles among American drivers.
This move was expected since Trump took power again. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered NHTSA to review fuel efficiency standards in January, a day after taking office. The current administration also eliminated tax credits for purchasing electric vehicles over the summer. Meanwhile, international manufacturers are moving forward in their progress toward making better EVs, introducing more exciting models in other markets that won’t come to the US due to tariffs.
While Trump’s announcement today claimed the change would reduce the average cost of a new car by $1,000 and save $109 billion over five years, gas prices are on track to rise if the Environmental Protection Agency successfully overturns its finding that climate change causes human harm. At the same time, there are also the countless financial and human costs of the increasing number of catastrophic weather events that are predicted if the planet continues to warm.
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