Environmentalists took aim at one of the Trump administration’s central arguments for rewriting national fuel economy rules, arguing at a hearing Wednesday that the move would drive up the cost of new vehicles.
Carmakers and the oil industry pushed to roll back the Biden-era Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (CAFE), saying the rules are unfeasible and improperly relied on electric vehicles to make the nation’s cars and trucks more fuel-efficient.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in December that slashing the requirement would lower the cost of new cars because consumers and automakers would be able to avoid the higher upfront cost of electric vehicles.
But several environmental and public health organizations said Wednesday at a virtual hearing held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that any savings would be eaten up by the higher cost of fuel over the lifetime of new vehicles. They also argued that stronger standards would improve public health and make the U.S. car industry more competitive as the rest of the world rapidly switches to EVs.
