Just when you thought the US President couldn’t be any more negligent towards the environment.
The US Department of Transportation has announced plans to reduce fuel efficiency requirements for private vehicles, undoing legislation introduced by former-President Joe Biden.
Under the previous Washington administration, fleet average fuel economy was supposed to hit 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031. This target will now be cut, hitting just 34.9 miles per gallon within the next five years — only marginally better than the current level, of 30.1 miles per gallon.
The news has been met with positive responses from the automative industry, and Americans have been told they could see the price of buying a new vehicle fall by around $1,300. However, some analysts have questioned that figure, while environmentalist have expressed outrage at the move, including air quality and pollution groups.
‘For decades, fuel economy standards have ensured that new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks are more efficient, which saves lives and money,’ the American Lung Association’s president and CEO, Harold Wimmer, said in a statement. ‘There is no reason to weaken standards that are technologically feasible and have a direct benefit for the quality of the air people breathe.’
Although the rules will not impact UK or European markets, the nature of atmospheric pollutants means the impact is unlikely to be confined to the US alone. All carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere contributes to global heating, for example, while many forms of air pollution are considered to be transboundary problems.
Image: Library of Congress / Unsplash
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