President Donald Trump signed an order Tuesday rolling back federal fuel efficiency standards for new cars and light trucks, loosening rules that had required automakers to hit an average of roughly 50 miles per gallon by 2031.
The move reverses a Biden-era rule that the Environmental Protection Agency had estimated would cut billions of tons of carbon emissions and save drivers money at the pump. Trump framed the rollback as relief for car buyers and manufacturers, saying the stricter targets raised vehicle prices and pushed production overseas.
"We're bringing back affordable cars," Trump said during the signing at the White House. He did not give specifics on the new mileage targets, which the Transportation Department will now rewrite.
Environmental groups and several state attorneys general said they will challenge the order in court. The standards had been a central piece of federal climate policy, and undoing them is expected to add hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over the next decade, according to EPA projections released under the previous administration.
Automakers have been split on the rules. Some have invested billions in electric vehicles and hybrid lines built around the stricter targets, while others lobbied for more time to comply.
The rollback lands the same day prosecutors in Tompkins County, New York, confirmed they reopened an investigation into an alleged rape at a Cornell University fraternity house in 2023.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office received new information in the case and assigned it to a fresh team of investigators. He declined to describe the evidence or name any suspects.
The case had been closed in 2024 without charges. Cornell officials said in a statement that the university is cooperating with law enforcement and has placed the fraternity chapter on interim suspension pending the outcome.
The alleged assault drew national attention after student activists pressed the university and local police to act. Advocates for sexual assault survivors said the reopening shows that pressure from victims and the public can force a second look at cases that stall.
It is not clear how long the new investigation will take. Van Houten said his office will not comment further until it reaches a decision on charges.
