Environmental groups sue DOT over fuel economy rollback — SkimNews
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- The Department of Transportation finalized a rule loosening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, projected by the Department of Energy to raise gas prices by 76 cents a gallon and increase fleet fuel consumption 45% by 2031.
- The Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, Public Citizen, and Sierra Club filed a petition for review in federal appellate court seeking to block the rule.
- The DOT issued the rule despite 68,294 public comments during the proposal phase, which the source says the vast majority opposed.
- The Sierra Club had flagged deficiencies in the proposed rule that the DOT did not correct in the final version, providing potential grounds for an "arbitrary and capricious" challenge under the Administrative Procedures Act.
- A 2020 study cited by the source found CAFE standards have saved $5 trillion and prevented the import of 2 trillion gallons of gasoline since the standards were enacted after the 1970s Arab oil embargo.
- The U.S. auto industry praised the rollback, and a UC Davis study cited by the source found manufacturers are offering fewer EVs to American consumers despite demand — even as global EV sales grow.
- The Natural Resources Defense Council, which is not a party to this lawsuit, has achieved a 90% success rate against the Trump administration in environmental court challenges, per the source.
Why it matters: The DOT rule targets 45% more fleet fuel consumption by 2031 and a Department of Energy-projected 76-cent gas price hike. With 68,294 public comments — most opposing — ignored, plaintiffs have a procedural record to challenge the rollback under the Administrative Procedures Act, an avenue that has succeeded against similar regulatory moves.
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