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Trump's proposal to weaken fuel-economy standards lowers future mileage requirements, winning industry support but drawing environmental backlash over increased emissions, higher gasoline consumption, and a retreat from Biden-era clean-transportation policies.
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event on fuel economy standards in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, in Washington. (AP Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 4, 2025 05:46 IST
President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping proposal to weaken federal vehicle mileage rules, reversing a central climate policy of the Biden administration and easing long-standing regulatory pressure on automakers to boost fuel efficiency.
The plan, expected to be finalised next year, would sharply scale back fuel-economy gains through the 2031 model year and reduce required fleetwide averages for light-duty vehicles to roughly 34.5 miles per gallon.
Under Biden-era vehicle mileage rules, automakers would have been required to reach about 50.4 mpg by the same year.
Trump argued that loosening the standards will lower sticker prices and broaden consumer choices, claiming the shift will save buyers about USD 1,000 on new vehicles.
Automakers, who have long warned that previous rules were difficult and costly to meet, praised the rollback. Executives from Ford and Stellantis called the updated standards more aligned with market conditions and customer demand, saying they will still allow progress on emissions without forcing expensive technology into every model.
The announcement marks the latest step in a larger push by the Trump administration to dismantle Biden-era climate policies, including rules promoting electric vehicles and federal EV purchase incentives.
Trump again criticized Democratic support for EV adoption, saying Americans prefer gasoline-powered cars. While no federal EV sales mandate exists, several states—led by California—have adopted future zero-emission requirements, many of which have been blocked by Trump and congressional Republicans.
Environmental groups condemned the proposed standards, warning that weakened mileage rules will increase U.S. gasoline consumption, raise climate-warming emissions, and worsen air pollution. Critics pointed to federal projections showing that the rollback will result in billions more gallons of gasoline burned by mid-century, along with higher levels of soot and smog-forming pollution.
Advocates for clean transportation also argued that the change undermines automakers that have invested heavily in EV manufacturing and workforce expansion.
Mileage rules have been in place since the 1970s, steadily improving vehicle efficiency. Opponents of the rollback say reversing this trajectory will leave consumers paying more at the pump and slow the transition to cleaner transportation.
- Ends
With inputs from Associated Press
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Dec 4, 2025
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