The Biden administration released new standards for average fuel economy standards for most passenger vehicles on Friday, targeting one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S. The new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards are the most stringent to date, with the biggest year-on-year efficiency improvements ever. They will require companies’ cars to average 49 mpg by 2026, up from the previous administration’s 36 mpg standard. The Biden administration touted the cost savings of $192 billion for consumers through 2030 due to the new rule, but not everyone approves.
Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign, said the new standards have “too many loopholes” due to weaker standards for SUVs, vans or big pick-up trucks, so they are “not strong enough to meet what the president called global warming’s existential threat.” The new standards, Becker added, will “do little to alleviate consumers’ pain at the pump, since they don’t push GM and Toyota to shift from hawking gas guzzlers that fill the coffers of their golfing buddies at Exxon.” (Washington Post $, E&E News, AP, Axios, The Hill, Bloomberg $, Wall Street Journal $, Tech Crunch, Reuters, CNN, The Verge, Politico Pro $)