New Trump administration rule weakens efforts to promote cleaner cars

The Trump administration just threw a wrench into Biden’s fuel efficiency plans, publishing a new rule that challenges how electric vehicles factor into federal standards.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

In short:

• The U.S. Transportation Department issued a rule saying the Biden administration improperly used electric vehicles to calculate carmakers’ fuel economy standards.
• While not eliminating Biden’s rules outright, the administration suggested it may not enforce them during its own rulemaking process, arguing the current standards are akin to an EV mandate.
• The move undercuts one of Biden’s core climate strategies and could reduce pressure on automakers to improve efficiency — unless U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules, which Republicans are also trying to reverse, stay intact.

Why this matters:

Fuel efficiency rules are one of the federal government’s main tools to cut transportation emissions — the top source of greenhouse gases in the U.S. While this new rule doesn’t outright kill the fuel economy standards, it signals the administration likely won’t enforce them while it writes its own version.

Read more: The role of electric vehicles in the push for environmental justice