"For 50 years, automakers have had to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles or pay fines. The Republican megabill would set those penalties to $0."
"Republicans in the Senate are considering a measure in President Trump’s big domestic policy bill that would essentially nullify the fuel efficiency rules for cars and light trucks that have been in place for nearly 50 years.
The provision would eliminate fines for any automaker that failed to comply with federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which were created by Congress in 1975. Over time, those efficiency rules have gotten stricter, pushing automakers to improve the mileage of their cars and trucks and to introduce innovations like the Toyota Prius hybrid.
Environmentalists fear that without penalties to enforce compliance, automakers could freely ignore those rules, leading to expanded gasoline use and more pollution from millions of tailpipes. The measure could also slow the growth of electric vehicles, which are already facing stiff headwinds under the Trump administration.
“If polluters are told that there’s no penalty for polluting, what do you think they’re going to do?” said Daniel Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. “They’ll be perfectly happy to pollute more and make more gas guzzlers.”"
Brad Plumer and Jack Ewing report for the New York Times June 26, 2025.
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