America's Looser Fuel Economy Rules Will Boost Gas Consumption by Billions of Gallons
Revised CAFE standards are projected to increase gasoline use by billions of gallons.
Revised federal fuel economy standards are projected to result in billions of gallons of additional gasoline consumption in the United States, according to reports on the administration's rollback of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules.
What Happened
The Trump administration has moved to revise CAFE rules, a change that is expected to loosen requirements for automakers. This regulatory shift is anticipated to lead to higher gas consumption across the US vehicle fleet. While specific numerical projections from the source text are limited, the core directive is clear: the relaxation of these standards will increase the volume of gasoline burned by American cars.
Why It Matters
The relaxation of CAFE standards reduces the regulatory pressure on automakers to accelerate the production and sales of zero-emission vehicles. By lowering the stringency of fuel economy mandates, the policy change removes certain penalties associated with producing less efficient, gas-powered models.
The Bottom Line
The rollback of CAFE standards is set to increase US gasoline consumption by billions of gallons.
