FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Andrew Whelan, CleanAIRE NC, (919) 229-9293, [email protected]
CleanAIRE NC strongly condemns the EPA’s decision to roll back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, drastically reducing fuel efficiency requirements for passenger cars and light trucks from an average of 50.4 miles per gallon to just 34.5. The rollback undermines national climate targets while forcing North Carolina communities to pay the price in dirty air and higher fuel costs.
The rollback effectively imposes a hidden tax on working families. At a time when volatile gas prices and everyday living costs are already straining household budgets, lowering fuel efficiency forces drivers to buy vehicles that consume significantly more gasoline. This funnels billions of dollars back into fossil fuel industry profits while shifting the financial burden directly onto drivers at the pump.
“North Carolina cannot afford to retreat on clean transportation,” said Jeffrey Robbins, Executive Director of CleanAIRE NC. “When gas prices spike, families must absorb these costs just to commute to work, take their kids to school, or go to the grocery store. This rollback forces drivers to burn hundreds of additional gallons of gas every year, locking households into higher fuel bills for the next decade.”
The rule change will also cause severe damage to public health. Transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in North Carolina. Burning more gasoline releases dangerous tailpipe pollutants, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that form ground-level ozone. Many neighborhoods located along major commuter corridors, such as I-77, I-85, and I-40, already suffer from higher rates of childhood asthma, respiratory illness, and heart disease due to vehicle exhaust.
North Carolina families deserve clean air and relief from high fuel costs. We need leadership that prioritizes public health, fights against climate change, advances clean transportation, and holds automakers to modern efficiency standards. We urge state lawmakers to uphold rigorous emission standards here in North Carolina by adopting California’s light-duty vehicle regulations under Section 177 of the Clean Air Act.
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CleanAIRE NC is a statewide nonprofit organization advocating for the health of all North Carolinians by pursuing equitable and collaborative solutions that address climate change and air pollution.
