In First Action as Transportation Secretary, Duffy Rolls Back Clean Cars Rules

In his first full day as Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy issued a memo directing U.S. regulators to rescind fuel economy standards put forward under the Biden administration intended to reduce fuel use for cars and trucks. In response, Will Anderson, EV policy advocate with Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement:

“As sad as it is, it’s no surprise that climate denier Sean Duffy’s first act at DOT is to advance Trump’s harmful deregulatory agenda and roll back fuel economy standards. Such a rollback would not only hinder consumer choices for more fuel efficient vehicles while putting the U.S. auto industry further behind global competitors, it would raise consumer’s costs when fueling — all to boost oil and gas industry profits.

“In his memo, Duffy directs DOT to roll back fuel economy standards not just in the years ahead but also looking back to vehicles from 2022, despite that the American auto industry has already made investments to meet the existing standards. We should drive forward with fuel-efficient vehicles that are less of a burden on our wallets and less harmful to our lungs, rather than forcing automakers and consumers to reverse course.”