Average fuel economy standards for new cars have been reduced from 50.4 miles per gallon to 34.9 miles per gallon by 2031 by the Trump administration. Although the administration claims the change will make vehicles more affordable and reduce regulatory burdens on automakers, critics argue it will lead to higher fuel costs for consumers.
The move undermines decades of progress in making vehicles more fuel efficient, and it comes at a time when gas prices are soaring across the country, driving up inflation, and undermining any attempts to lower costs for households.
“With gas prices already at record levels, Americans can’t afford policies that will drive the costs of transportation even higher,” Will Anderson, EV policy advocate in the climate program for Public Citizen, a public interest group, said in a statement .
The reduction in fuel efficiency standards only helps Trump’s oil and gas cronies further gain record profits, and will hurt American automakers and union workers that need to focus on creating internationally competitive electric vehicles, Anderson said.
Automakers who have short-term vision and choose to go along with this charade will only undercut their long-term viability, he said.
“Consumers need more fuel efficient choices when considering new cars, and they deserve vehicles that get more miles per gallon and miles per dollar than the cars that Big Oil is pushing today,” Anderson said.
He said with policies like the one on gutting fuel economy standards, Trump is driving up the cost of living for Americans and driving up pollution, hurting the health of Americans with dirtier air.
