The End of the Road for Climate-Driven Fuel Standards: CRF Pushes DOT to Roll Back Emissions Rules

On May 5, CPAC Foundation’s Center for Regulatory Freedom (CRF) filed comments urging the Department of Transportation to roll back over 10 regulations, including major changes to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, which sets fuel efficiency requirements for vehicles in the United States.

The previous administration reoriented the program around climate change policies, shifting its focus from promoting an efficient fuel economy to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. On June 10, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established a new legal framework excluding climate and emissions considerations from future CAFE rulemaking, echoing CRF’s sentiments and ending environmental mandates in automotive regulation.

DOT Listens to CPAC

Statutory Limitations

CPAC: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) does not define “fuel economy” to include climate change considerations, nor does it mandate the use of any particular vehicle or fuel.

NHTSA: CAFE program regulations pushing consumers to adopt EVs are not explicitly required by the EPCA and are inconsistent with the purpose and intent of the statute.

Rescinded Executive Orders

CPAC: Executive Orders 13990 and 14307 directed NHSTA to include principles of climate risk in the CAFE program, but both orders have now been rescinded by President Trump, removing the main legal basis for emissions-focused fuel economy standards.

NHTSA: President Trump’s initial rescissions of prior executive actions included several orders directing NHTSA to reconsider fuel economy standards, nullifying the original mandate to incorporate emissions reductions into the CAFE program.

The previous system failed to prioritize the American worker and instead capitulated to the demands of climate activists, a small minority among the American population. Now, we can begin to rebuild as a nation from Biden's damage to the economy. Trump's rescindment of Executive Orders 13990 and 14307 sends a clear message to the American public: we hear you, and we value you.