Dingell Praises USDOT's New, Landmark Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) joined Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff as the U.S. Department of Transportation announced new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, which will improve fuel efficiency, lower costs for consumers, give industry certainty, and fight climate change.

Congresswoman Dingell issued the following statement in support of the newly announced CAFE standards:

"The new CAFE standards announced by Secretary Buttigieg and NHTSA Deputy Administrator Cliff today are a win-win for consumers, workers, the auto industry, and our environment. These critical regulations will help ensure our cars remain the best in the world, but most of all, they will help American families drive further before they need to fill up their tanks, saving them hundreds of dollars every year. These improvements also steer us on the path to energy independence and will ensure our air is cleaner for generations to come. As I have long said, we need one national fuel economy program -- one set of standards well into the future that increase year over year -- that simultaneously gives the industry certainty while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making fuel economy more efficient.

To achieve our long-term climate and electrification goals, it will be important for Congress and the administration to continue to push for policies that will help make the vehicles of the future affordable, invest in the necessary infrastructure, and strengthen our domestic manufacturing and supply chains. The Biden Administration deserves real credit for prioritizing this critical issue and for their commitment to cutting costs for American families, combatting climate change, and creating good-paying American jobs."

The new CAFE standards require an industry-wide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg for passenger cars and light trucks in model year 2026, the strongest cost savings and fuel efficiency standards to date. The new standards will increase fuel efficiency 8% annually for model years 2024-2025 and 10% annually for model year 2026. They will also increase the estimated fleetwide average by nearly 10 miles per gallon for model year 2026, relative to model year 2021. The new CAFE standards for model year 2024-26 will also reduce fuel use by more than 200 billion gallons through 2050, as compared to continuing under the old standards.

Video of the press conference announcing the new fuel economy standards is available here.

Text of the final Corporate Average Fuel Economy rule is available here.

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