New Mexico joins coalition suing Trump administration over fuel economy rollbacks

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has joined a coalition of states, led by California, to legally challenge the Trump administration’s decision to roll back fuel economy standards for new vehicles.

The administration recently announced a plan to reduce the required annual improvements in fuel efficiency for automakers by half. While administration officials argue that more stringent requirements offer diminishing returns and increase vehicle costs, proponents of the previous standards argue the rollback will harm consumers.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta noted that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analysis suggests the change could increase gasoline consumption by approximately 120 billion gallons by 2050. Critics also allege the NHTSA improperly excluded electric vehicles from its calculations to weaken the standards.