President Donald Trump has announced fresh plans to axe rules that aim to cut vehicle emissions in a further blow to Biden-era net zero rules.
Speaking in the White House yesterday, President Donald Trump said he was taking a "historic action" to lower costs for motorists by changing fuel economy rules.
The President will reset the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards introduced under the Biden Administration, which Mr Trump called "costly and unlawful".
The changes will see the US government require an average of 34.5 miles per gallon for vehicles by the model year 2031.
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This is a huge climb-down from the 50.4 miles per gallon standard set by the Biden administration, and will apply to all passenger cars and light trucks.
Data from the White House estimates that the Biden-era standards would have raised the average cost of a car by almost $1,000 or £750.
It also found that the new measures will save American families $109billion (£81.6billion) over the next five years.
The White House also stated that an increased number of newer and safer vehicles will save more than 1,500 lives and prevent almost 250,000 serious injuries by 2050.
President Donald Trump has scrapped Biden-era fuel policies and attacked electric cars
|REUTERS/PA
President Trump said: "Today, my administration is taking historic action to lower costs for American consumers, protect American auto jobs and make buying a car much more affordable for countless American families.
"We're officially terminating Joe Biden's ridiculously burdensome, horrible actually, CAFE standards, that imposed expensive restrictions on all sorts of problems to automakers.
"It put tremendous upward pressure on car prices, combined with the insane electric vehicle mandate, Biden's burdensome regulations have caused the price of cars to soar by more than 25 per cent.
"Today, we're taking one more step to kill the green new scam, as part of the greatest scam, probably. Other than 'Russia, Russia, Russia' and a few others I could name."
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Ford CEO Jim Farley and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa were in attendance at the White House yesterday
|REUTERS
He added that the Biden Administration aimed to kill off petrol and diesel vehicles, despite the power the United States has in the global gasoline market.
A number of key players in the motoring industry were in attendance in the Oval Office, including Ford CEO Jim Farley and Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa.
Commenting on the changes, Mr Farley said people should be able to make a choice in what vehicles they purchase, adding: "This is a victory of common sense and affordability".
However, Kathy Harris, director for clean vehicles at the Natural Resources Defense Council, warned that drivers would be "paying hundreds of dollars more at the pump every year if these rules are put in place".
President Donald Trump has been a critic of electric cars for many years
| GETTYThis is the latest Trump attack on Biden-era policies, as the President aims to discredit the 83-year-old Democrat's legacy in the Oval Office.
Posting previously on Truth Social, Trump announced that any "documents, proclamations, executive orders, memorandums and contracts" signed by President Biden would be null and void, given Trump's claims that the former President used an "autopen".
He added: "Anyone receiving 'Pardons,' 'Commutations,' or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"