US rolls back fuel economy rules and farmer solar grants

· Climate · United States

The US Transportation Department finalized a rollback of automobile fuel efficiency standards, lowering the required average to 34.9 miles per gallon. Separately, new USDA rules effectively end the Rural Energy for America Program grants that thousands of farmers used to build revenue-generating solar systems.

Why it matters：Two US federal reversals hit both transport emissions and farm-scale renewables at once, reshaping demand forecasts for automakers and solar developers and signalling a wider policy divergence from other markets.

Key points

  • Automakers must now average 34.9 miles per gallon under the finalized rule.
  • The USDA changes essentially end REAP grants for farmer-owned solar.
  • The rollback is described as the administration's latest move against solar development.

Sources (original reporting)

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