By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Eighty Democratic lawmakers in Congress urged the Trump administration on Wednesday to abandon a proposal to slash fuel economy standards that former President Joe Biden had finalized in 2024.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December proposed significantly reducing the fuel economy requirements from model years 2022 to 2031, requiring 34.5 miles per gallon on average by 2031, down from 50.4 miles per gallon (21.4 km per liter).
The lawmakers, led by Doris Matsui and Senator Ed Markey, said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy first reported by Reuters that the proposal would lead to higher fuel consumption, increase air pollution and “allow auto manufacturers to continue to prioritize larger vehicles that produce higher profit margins – a shift that is already driving up the cost of cars.”
NHTSA did not immediately comment.
Duffy has said the rules will allow Americans to buy the vehicles they want and not force automakers to build a rising number of electric cars.
NHTSA has proposed revising the 2022 fuel economy standards and then hiking them between 0.25% and 0.5% annually through 2031. In 2022, under Biden, NHTSA increased fuel efficiency by 8% annually for model years 2024-2025 and 10% for 2026.
BIDEN’S APPROACH
Biden’s rules sought to prod automakers to build a rising number of EVs to comply, but would not have forced an immediate end to gas-powered vehicles.
The lawmakers’ group includes Senators Ron Wyden, Patty Murray, Sheldon Whitehouse, Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reed, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin and Chris Van Hollen.
The lawmakers said strong fuel economy standards “have driven American innovation, from hybridization and advanced powertrains to aerodynamic breakthroughs … Rolling back fuel efficiency standards would threaten American energy independence by deepening our reliance on foreign oil.”
They added that “strong fuel economy standards also incentivize manufacturers to offer smaller, efficient vehicles that are also more likely to be cheaper to purchase.”
The U.S. auto agency has estimated that the proposed new rule would reduce average up-front vehicle costs by $930, but increase fuel consumption by around 100 billion gallons through 2050 – and cost Americans up to another $185 billion for fuel and increase carbon dioxide emissions by about 5%.
NHTSA said Friday it also plans to unwind standards for heavy duty trucks and passenger vans.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark Heinrich)
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