Former reality TV contestant Sean Duffy. Photo by Gage Skidmore The Department of Transportation says it’s ready to announce fuel economy standards that will raise average fuel costs by 45%, right as the world struggles with the effects of a war of choice that has spiked energy prices globally. Since the 1970s, the US government has had various rules that guide auto manufacturers to make and sell more efficient vehicles. The main standards, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), were first implemented after the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, and the ensuing energy crisis. The standards require manufacturers to maintain an average level of fuel efficiency across their fleet, or else they have to pay a fine for every noncompliant car they sell. Prior to these standards, American cars were large and gas guzzling, with very little interest in efficiency. CAFE standards and other government regulations related to efficiency and clean air, both on the state and federal level, have made cars cleaner and more efficient as time has gone on. Advertisement - scroll for more content The result of cleaner and more efficient vehicles is that it costs less to fuel them, costs less to breathe the dirty air they cause, and makes the environment that you depend on for everything good in your life more livable. So, of course, republicans want to end all of that. DoT ‘about to announce’ effort to raise your fuel costs This week, Sean Duffy, the corrupt former reality TV contestant posing as the current head of the Department of Transportation said that he is “about to announce” new fuel economy standards that stand to increase average American fuel costs dramatically. These fuel economy standards aren’t a surprise – on his very first day, Duffy signed a memo promising to increase US fuel costs, reversing standards that were estimated to save Americans $23 billion. But his intent was to target any fuel economy standard whatsoever, wanting to eliminate anything that saves you money, as $23 billion wasn’t enough for him. Over time, that intent has been refined and officially proposed as a reduction in 2031 target average fuel economy from 50.4mpg to 34.5mpg. The NHTSA says that in fact, these changes would raise fuel costs by $185 billion, and carbon emissions by 5%. These numbers do not take into account the higher health costs from more pollution (but the White House literally says your life is worth nothing, anyway). Then it was put up for public comment, and the vast majority of the 68,294 comments naturally opposed the plan to hike your fuel and health costs and make the environment less livable. The changes could raise fuel costs by more than 45% Doing some simple math, lowering fuel economy from 50.4 mpg to 34.5 mpg would raise the average fuel required to go the same distance by 45% – meaning that average total fuel costs will go up by at least 45% if cars meet the new standards rather than the old ones. Why “at least” 45%? Well, not only would this regulation mean that drivers have to buy more gasoline on average, but it also means that gasoline prices would go up even further as demand goes up. You need look no further than an analysis released by the Department of Energy which said that gas prices will go up by 76 cents per gallon if republicans’ energy plans were to take effect. And before anyone claims partisanship – this report was signed off on by Chris Wright, the oil CEO currently squatting in the DoE (who of course sees higher gas prices as a good thing, since it makes more money for his industry). Yes, this is a real graph produced by Trump’s cronies. “Alternative,” in this case, means the Trump plan. Arrows/labels added by Electrek, but the graph is theirs. And all of this is happening as energy prices are already at all-time highs, driven there as America slowly continues to lose a war of choice that has spiked energy prices globally. They already stopped CAFE, why do it again? The elimination of CAFE standards is somewhat of a formality at this point. Republicans in Congress couldn’t muster the votes to eliminate CAFE entirely, so instead used procedural finagling to set CAFE fines to $0, as part of their massive $4 trillion giveaway to US elites. So, effectively, there is no enforcement of CAFE rules at the moment anyway. So why double up on this effort? It’s all part of the general all-out assault on American’s pocketbooks, in the form of higher energy prices, that has been engaged in by republicans in the Departments of Transportation, Energy, Interior, EPA, and others. In many cases, these changes have been reversed by courts due to the nakedly arbitrary and capricious rulemaking involved, and you can expect to see more lawsuits defending your pocketbooks from assault by republicans. But the reason republicans keep hammering against regulations they’ve already tried to defeat is that by attacking on multiple fronts, it will take longer for a future legitimate government to untangle the damage done. This means that republicans’ constituents, the oil companies who bribed them into position, will presumably get a little longer to profit further off of your misery. This isn’t the only way that Duffy is trying to make you less safe. He recently eliminated government guidance related to bike lanes and other road safety measures. If local and regional governments follow the new guidelines, pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates could go up from 19-54%, when they are already near an all-time high. For no particular reason, here’s the link to find out how to register to vote in your state. November’s just two months away. Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad* Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.