Brief
California leads 26‑state lawsuit over Trump administration fuel‑economy rollback
The suit challenges a reduction of the fleet‑wide average to 34.9 mpg by 2031, down from the 50.4 mpg target set under Biden.
By Felo News Desk · Published
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by 25 other states including New York, filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing the Trump administration of illegally rolling back federal fuel‑economy standards.
The complaint says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lowered the required fleet‑wide average fuel economy for gasoline‑powered vehicles to 34.9 miles per gallon (56 km/l) by model year 2031, a sharp cut from the 50.4 mpg (81 km/l) target established under President Joe Biden.
Bonta argues the rule change ignores the existing stock of electric vehicles, distorting the baseline calculations that NHTSA must use, and claims the agency is contravening its congressional mandate to set standards at the "maximum feasible" level.
The Department of Transportation says the new rule could save American taxpayers $138 billion over five years. Auto‑industry representatives welcomed the shift, with Stellantis senior vice president Shane Karr calling the revised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets "more achievable" and better aligned with market realities.
A separate lawsuit filed the same day by climate groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen echoes the states' concerns, accusing the administration of endangering air quality and enriching oil and auto executives.
Key facts
- California and 25 other states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over fuel‑economy standards. (aljazeera.com)
- The new NHTSA rule sets a fleet‑wide average of 34.9 mpg for gasoline vehicles by 2031. (aljazeera.com)
- The Biden administration had set a target of 50.4 mpg for the same year. (aljazeera.com)
- The Transportation Department estimates the rollback could save $138 billion over five years. (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “California leads lawsuit against Trump fuel efficiency standards rollback”
