Think gas prices are too low? Don’t fret, Trump plans to raise them Monday — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Department of Transportation is set to announce Monday a rollback of fuel economy standards projected to raise gas prices by 76 cents per gallon and increase fuel consumption by 45%, according to a Department of Energy analysis.
- Sean Duffy, head of the Department of Transportation, signed a memo on his first day reversing standards estimated to save Americans $23 billion, with stated intent to target "any fuel economy standard whatsoever."
- The proposed change lowers the 2031 fleet fuel economy target from 50.4 mpg to 34.5 mpg, with the NHTSA estimating it would raise fuel costs by $185 billion and carbon emissions by 5%.
- Congressional Republicans previously set CAFE enforcement fines to $0 as part of a $4 trillion package, making the new rollback partly redundant with already-defanged standards.
- Public comments on the proposal numbered 68,294, with the article stating the "vast majority" opposed the plan to hike fuel and health costs.
- The rollback is part of a multi-agency effort across DoT, Energy, Interior, and EPA, with several changes already reversed by courts for "nakedly arbitrary and capricious" rulemaking.
- Duffy also eliminated federal guidance on bike lanes and road safety, which the article says could raise pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates 19-54%.
Why it matters: American drivers would pay 76 cents more per gallon and burn 45% more fuel per mile under the new standard, with NHTSA projecting $185 billion in added fuel costs nationwide. The rollback's redundancy with Congress's zeroed-out CAFE fines suggests the rule is less about practical enforcement than locking in industry-friendly rules ahead of the 2031 target — and several earlier moves in this multi-agency effort have already been struck down by courts.
Ask SkimNews
