Coalition Sues Trump Administration Over Rule Making Cars Less Fuel Efficient

A coalition of environmental and consumer groups has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a new rule that weakens federal fuel economy standards for cars, known as CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. These standards set how many miles per gallon automakers' vehicle fleets must average. The rollback means new vehicles built for model year 2031 could be less fuel-efficient than the cars already on the road today, from model year 2024.

The groups bringing the suit, including the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, and the Environmental Defense Fund, argue the change will cost drivers money and increase pollution. By the government's own projections, the rule will mean drivers spend more than $1,600 more on gas over the life of these less-efficient vehicles. Nationally, it's expected to push fuel consumption up by more than 121 billion gallons through 2050. The standards being weakened had been projected to save drivers $35 billion over time and cut gasoline use by 64 billion gallons.

For homeowners, this doesn't change anything about your house directly, but it does touch the budget side of energy decisions. Transportation already eats up a large share of household spending, second only to housing. If this rollback stands, buyers of new cars in coming years may end up paying more at the pump than they would have under the standards being challenged. The lawsuit is now headed to the courts, and its outcome will determine whether the weaker standards take effect or get struck down.