Weakened Fuel Economy Standards Will Likely Harm People, Environment While Raising Prices at the Pump

Weakened Fuel Economy Standards Will Harm People, the Environment While Raising Prices at the Pump

Statement by Steven Higashide, Union of Concerned Scientists

WASHINGTON (December 3, 2025)-The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a proposal to weaken fuel economy (CAFE) standards for model year 2022 to 2031 passenger cars and trucks.

Below is a statement by Steven Higashide, director of the Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

"This Trump administration handout to fossil fuel industry and automakers will harm consumers and the environment. Because of CAFE standards, U.S. vehicle pollution and reliance on oil have dropped and drivers can save money by choosing more efficient vehicles. Tearing down this pillar of clean transportation will cost us all dearly.

"This year marks a half-century since Congress created the CAFE standard, which over the past 50 years has improved U.S. energy security, helped clean up the air, and saved consumers more than $5 trillion.

"The Trump administration is moving us backwards, with CAFE targets that are less stringent than what today's fleet already achieves. Decreasing vehicle efficiency will harm public health and well-being, make the United States more vulnerable to global oil price shocks, and cost consumers more each time they fill up at the pump. This move should be seen for what it is-more short-term profit for oil and car companies and a diminished future for all of us.

"This is not the first time the CAFE standards have come under attack by the Trump administration and their allies in Congress. Earlier this year, DOT finalized an interpretive rule without public input that gave automakers a free pass to ignore the CAFE standards on the books. And Republicans' reconciliation bill stripped NHTSA's ability to enforce CAFE standards by zeroing out penalties for noncompliance. These standards are complementary but separate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, which are also being targeted for repeal by the Trump administration."