Trump Administration Finalizes Rule that Makes Cars Less Fuel Efficient

The Trump administration has finalized a rule rolling back federal fuel economy standards for cars, known as CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. These rules set how many miles per gallon automakers' vehicle lineups must average. Rolling them back means new vehicles won't be required to get as many miles per gallon as they would have under the stronger standards, so drivers will burn more gas to cover the same distance.

The federal government's own highway safety agency has estimated that stronger fuel economy standards save Americans billions of dollars in fuel costs and cut national gasoline use by tens of billions of gallons. Weakening the standards puts those savings at risk. Transportation already eats up roughly 17 percent of the average household budget, the second-biggest expense after housing, so higher fuel costs land directly on family budgets already stretched by high gas prices.

For homeowners, this doesn't change anything about your house directly, but it's a reminder that transportation costs and home energy costs are connected parts of the same household budget. If your driving costs are set to rise, upgrades that lower other bills, such as more efficient heating and cooling or reduced electricity use, may matter more for keeping overall costs in check. Rebates and incentives for home energy upgrades vary by state, so it's worth checking what's currently available where you live.