Trump administration reportedly backing away from fuel-efficiency freeze

The White House is shifting gears when it comes to a proposed fuel-efficiency freeze, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

The Trump administration had proposed freezing tailpipe-emissions targets for new cars through 2025, but now, it is considering requiring a 1.5 percent yearly increase in vehicle fuel efficiency, the Journal reports. In 2012, the Obama administration set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and called for annual increases of 5 percent.

Trump is expected to announce the new plan by the end of the year. California, which has been fighting to set its own tougher standards under a waiver granted by the Clean Air Act, will likely challenge the number in court, the Journal says.

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