Environmental and Consumer Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Weakened Fuel Economy Rules

A broad coalition of environmental and consumer advocacy organizations has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration’s final rule rolling back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, arguing the change will leave Americans driving thirstier vehicles and paying more at the pump.

The rollback, according to the plaintiffs, weakens requirements that have long helped curb gasoline consumption and ease household budgets. They point out that the standards as previously written would have saved 64 billion gallons of fuel and delivered roughly $35 billion in consumer savings over the lifetime of covered vehicles. Instead, the new rule allows automakers to build a model year 2031 fleet that is less efficient than the vehicles already on the road today.

The coalition cites the administration’s own estimates: drivers could be forced to spend more than $1,600 extra on fuel over the life of these vehicles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projects an additional 121 billion gallons of fuel consumed through 2050. The lawsuit lands at a moment when gas prices are already straining families, with transportation the second-largest household expense after housing, at about 17% of average spending.

Sierra Club’s Katherine Garcia called the rollback “reckless,” saying it puts oil and automaker profits ahead of American families and that the administration is unlawfully forcing drivers to waste money on gas while communities breathe dirtier air. Conservation Law Foundation attorney James Crowley framed the rule as steering the country toward cars that burn more fuel for the same miles, draining grocery and rent money into the tank. The Center for Biological Diversity’s David Pettit argued the timing is especially poor given record-high pump prices, warning that oil companies benefit while drivers and children pay the price. Public Citizen co-President Robert Weissman and Environmental Defense Fund attorney Andy Su echoed those concerns, saying consumers deserve more efficient choices and that the rollback reverses decades of progress on cleaner, cheaper-to-drive vehicles.

The case now moves to the courts, where the coalition hopes to block the rule and preserve the tighter standards.