In a move that should surprise no one, President Trump announced a “reset” of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards put in place by the Biden administration. CAFE has been politically weaponized by bureaucrats to fight climate change, and the proposed reversal will spell relief for car manufacturers, auto dealers, and consumers.
Established in 1975, CAFE’s original purpose was to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, not be used as a tool to combat global warming. What began as moderate increases in a vehicle’s gas mileage, and for years remained relatively unchanged, ballooned over the last few decades, by politicians hoped to alter the Earth’s temperature. The reset aims to return “the program’s fidelity to the legal restrictions set forth by Congress.”
The new Trump rule would roll back the unattainable average fuel economy of 50.4 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks by 2031 to 34.5 miles per gallon, lifting the federal de facto EV mandate; there was no other way to reach an impossible standard except through compulsory EV adoption.
Kristen Walker is an energy policy analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit www.theamericanconsumer.org or follow us on X @ConsumerPal.