Trump Administration Finalises Rollback of Obama-Era Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Standards

President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday completed a rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards adopted under his predecessor Barack Obama and will require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026 – far weaker than the 5% increases in the discarded rules. James Owens, acting head of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the plan “strikes the right balance between environmental considerations, health and safety considerations and economic considerations.” Writing on Twitter, Trump said his administration was “helping U.S. auto workers by replacing the failed Obama Emissions Rule.” Auto-producing states like Michigan could be pivotal in Trump’s Nov. 3 bid for re-election. “The Trump administration’s anti-science decision to gut fuel standards will unleash massive amounts of pollution into the air at the worst possible time,” Pelosi said, alluding to the coronavirus pandemic. A coalition of states previously challenged the Trump administration’s decision to revoke California’s authority to set its own stiff vehicle tailpipe emissions rules and require automakers under its Zero-Emission Vehicle Program to sell an increasing number of electric cars and trucks in the most populous U.S. state. The Trump administration said the new rules will result in about 2 billion additional barrels of oil being consumed and 867 to 923 additional million metric tons of carbon dioxide being emitted and boost average consumer fuel costs by more than $1,000 per vehicle over the life of their vehicles.