Environmentalists are asking to intervene in legal challenges to fuel economy standards

(Washington, DC – August 1, 2022) Six of the nation’s leading environmental groups are seeking to defend in court the fuel economy standards that protect the life and health of Americans, save them money on gas for their cars and trucks, and help us to counteract the climate crisis.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set strict protection standards earlier this year. An oil and gas industry trade association and a coalition of Republican attorneys general are trying them.

The Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists filed a motion today in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to intervene in the case and support the standards.

“Strong fuel economy standards have a variety of benefits, including protecting public health and saving lives, saving on fuel costs for their cars and passenger vehicles, reducing the pollution that is causing the climate crisis, and enhancing our national security,” he said he EDF attorney Andy Su. “The standards are firmly anchored in science and law and are critical to protecting Americans from the market volatility we continue to suffer with the gas price shocks this year.”

The NHTSA is required by law to determine the maximum possible average fuel economy level that car and truck manufacturers can achieve in each model year and then to set national fuel economy standards at that level.

In May of this year, the NHTSA released its final fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks in the 2024 through 2026 model years. The standards would improve fuel economy by at least 8% each year, culminating in an average standard of 49 miles per gallon in 2026. The NHTSA estimates that the standards will save 60 billion gallons of gasoline, keep hundreds of millions of tons of climate pollution out of our air, save Americans $1,280 in gasoline over the life of their car, and significantly reduce unhealthy, smog-causing pollution. The transportation sector is one of the country’s largest sources of these harmful pollutants. It is also our biggest source of climate pollution.

You can read the request to intervene here. Industry groups, including leaders in the energy and transportation sectors, have also taken steps to defend the standards.