The Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards require automobile manufacturers to meet a minimum average fuel efficiency across all the vehicles they sell in the country per year. Donald Trump proposed lowering it to 34 mpg by 2031.
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US President Donald Trump is repealing the Biden-era federal fuel economy standards, a move that will significantly weaken fuel requirements for millions of new gasoline-powered vehicles.
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are federal regulations established by the US Congress in 1975. They require automobile manufacturers to meet a minimum average fuel efficiency across all the vehicles they sell in the country per year. They have been tightened over the years in a bid to control vehicle pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions, which in the US primarily stem from the transportation industry.
Each mobile manufacturer is assigned a required average fuel economy standard in terms of miles per gallon (mpg). The standard varies according to the footprint of the vehicles in the fleet. Should the manufacturer’s annual fleet average fail to meet the given standard, the manufacturer would have to either purchase credits or pay a fine.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, updated the scheme in 2024, requiring manufacturers to increase the standard of passenger cars and light trucks to about 50 mpg by 2031. In July, Trump canceled the fine associated with CAFE standards violations. On Wednesday, he announced he would lower the standard to 34 mpg by 2031.
Experts warn that resetting CAFE Standards will further increase emissions and delay the shift to cleaner vehicles. They also warn that it will increase tailpipe pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, contributing to air quality deterioration and associated respiratory issues.
“Trump’s action will feed America’s destructive use of oil, while hamstringing us in the green tech race against … foreign carmakers,” said Dan Becker, Director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign, according to the Guardian.
Featured image: Molly Riley/White House via Flickr.
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