The Trump administration’s rollback of fuel economy standards has finally come to fruition under the leadership of new Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. The rule change aims to make cars less efficient, resulting in higher fuel costs for American drivers and potentially harming the environment.
In a move that has been met with widespread criticism from environmental groups and consumer advocates, the new standard targets the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rating, which was recently improved by President Biden’s administration. The revised rule is expected to increase fuel costs by $23 billion annually, according to Department of Transportation estimates.
The Sierra Club’s Katherine Garcia denounced the move as “deregulatory and pro-polluter” that will only increase costs for American families. She warned that making vehicles less efficient would lead to fewer clean vehicle options, squeeze wallets, endanger health, and contribute to climate pollution.
Industry experts also weighed in on the potential impact of the new standard, with Consumer Reports estimating that removing fuel economy standards could result in lifetime savings of $6,000 per vehicle by 2029. However, the Department of Transportation’s own memo claimed that lower fuel economy would make cars cheaper, despite this being a misleading argument.
Critics argued that the move would lead to more reliance on foreign oil, as domestic electricity generation is largely regional and local, supporting jobs at power plants near where consumers charge their vehicles. Furthermore, automakers have already begun planning new models for the EV transition, making regulatory certainty essential for business operations.
The most significant concern, however, is the environmental impact of the new standard. Experts estimate that increased emissions will harm public health and contribute to climate change, with potential costs ranging from $150 billion annually in infrastructure damages to over $500,000 per person born today due to lifetime health expenses.
As Americans continue to grapple with the long-term effects of a pandemic exacerbated by reality TV influences, this move is seen as part of a broader effort to follow through on campaign promises that will only make life more costly and less secure.
Source: https://electrek.co/2025/06/06/the-reality-tv-contestant-running-the-dot-just-raised-your-fuel-costs-by-23b