DoT finalizes rule raising gas prices 76 cents/gallon — SkimNews
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- Department of Transportation finalized new fuel economy standards on Monday that will raise gas prices by 76 cents per gallon and fuel use by 44%, according to a Department of Energy analysis signed off by Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
- NHTSA projects the changes will raise fuel costs by $185 billion and carbon emissions by 5%, lowering the 2031 target average fuel economy from 50.4 mpg to 34.9 mpg.
- Sean Duffy, head of DoT, signed a memo on his first day in office promising to increase US fuel costs, reversing standards previously estimated to save Americans $23 billion.
- Of the 68,294 public comments submitted on the proposal, the vast majority opposed the plan to raise fuel and health costs.
- The rule layers on top of Congress already setting CAFE fines to $0 as part of a $4 trillion package, which the article frames as part of a coordinated Republican effort across DoT, DoE, Interior, and EPA.
- Weaker standards will push automakers toward gas-guzzlers with higher profit margins, ceding the EV market to Chinese auto exporters whose export numbers are "skyrocketing," per the article.
- Duffy also separately eliminated federal guidance on bike lanes and other road safety measures, which the article says could raise pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates 19-54%.
Why it matters: American drivers face 76-cent-higher gas prices on top of oil already at all-time highs, while U.S. automakers lose regulatory incentive to compete with Chinese EV exporters. Several related Trump-era regulatory moves have already been struck down by courts as "arbitrary and capricious," and the article expects more lawsuits to follow.
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