President Donald Trump’s administration is being sued for a second time over his plan to slash federal car emission and fuel economy standards.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said they filed a lawsuit along with 36 other states, counties, and cities against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that challenges the agency’s recent decision to rescind an Obama-era scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions from cars and other sources pose a threat to public health. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, March 19 in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
A prior lawsuit was filed in the same court by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and other environmental groups on Feb. 18.
The EPA defended its decision to rescind the climate finding, saying in a statement that was provided to USA TODAY that it “carefully considered and reevaluated the legal foundation of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the text of the (Clean Air Act), and the Endangerment Finding’s legality in light of subsequent legal developments and court decisions.”
The Trump administration has promised that rolling back stringent fuel economy rules will allow automakers to make cheaper cars, but James’ office said the EPA’s decision “contradicts the overwhelming scientific evidence of the continued threat posed by climate change.”
“Across our country, communities are already suffering from climate disasters,” James said in a statement. “Instead of helping Americans face our new reality, the Trump administration has chosen denial, repealing critical protections that are foundational to the federal government’s response to climate change.”
What Does It Mean for Buyers as Car and Gas Prices Rise?
Car buyers are reeling from gas prices that reached an average of $3.88 per gallon on Thursday, March 19, according to the AAA Auto Club. That’s up from an average of $3.60 one week ago March 12, and $2.93 one month ago on February 19.
Car shoppers are also experiencing sticker shock in dealership showrooms with the average price of a new car in February 2026 hitting $49,353, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.
The federal fuel economy rules that the Trump administration is trying to eliminate require automakers to produce car fleets that are capable of averaging over 50 miles per gallon by 2031.
The White House says eliminating the rules will drastically lower sticker prices for most car shoppers.
“This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory costs and help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically,” Trump said in the Feb. 12 White House event announcing the action.
Environmentalists and Trump critics sharply disagree, saying that the administration’s ruling that the 2009 endangerment finding is invalid relied on junk science and likely won’t lower car prices much at all.
“The American people need their leaders to be honest and pragmatic about the threat of the climate crisis,” James said. “We will not let the federal government abandon its responsibility to the people.”
What Happened to Car Prices Last Time Trump Slashed Federal Fuel Rules?
In March 2017, Trump first announced his plan to roll back stringent fuel economy rules that were enacted under former President Barack Obama which would have required automakers to achieve fleetwide averages of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. When Trump made that announcement, the average price of a new car was $34,342, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Trump’s first rollback resulted in federal fuel-mileage standards being frozen at about 39 miles per gallon for model years 2021 to 2026. The mileage rules change coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw dramatic increases in prices for cars and many other goods.
When former President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he moved almost immediately to restore the stringent Obama-era fuel economy standards. Biden eventually settled on a plan that was announced in August 2021 that would have required automakers to achieve fleetwide averages of around 50 miles per gallon by 2031. The average price of a new car then was $43,355.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump’s EPA sued over US fuel rule rollback: What it means for buyers
Reporting by Keith Laing, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect