California leads lawsuit against Trump fuel efficiency standards rollback

What the report says

Twenty-six US states, led by California and joined by New York, filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging the Trump administration’s decision to lower federal fuel-efficiency requirements for petrol-powered vehicles. According to Al Jazeera, the case targets a Transportation Department rule that would set a fleet-average standard of 34.9 miles per gallon by model year 2031, down from the 50.4 mpg target adopted under former President Joe Biden.

The states, represented by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argue that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed how it calculates standards in a way that weakens the rule. The complaint says regulators ignored the existing number of electric vehicles on US roads, which the states contend made the baseline artificially low and allowed the government to justify less demanding targets for gasoline cars. The suit also claims the agency failed to meet its congressional duty to set fuel-economy rules at the “maximum feasible” level.

The Transportation Department has said the rollback could save taxpayers $138 billion over five years. Bonta, however, said the move would increase fuel costs for drivers and worsen air pollution. Automakers welcomed the change, with Stellantis describing the revised targets as more achievable and better aligned with market conditions.

Al Jazeera also reported that a separate lawsuit was filed the same day by environmental and progressive groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen, in federal court in Washington, DC. The twin cases add to a broader legal fight over US vehicle emissions and fuel economy policy, a debate with implications for consumer costs, oil demand and the pace of the transition to cleaner transportation.