Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
A note to our readers: This will be Daren Caughron’s last month with FCNL as the Legislative Manager for Sustainable Energy & Environment. Daren is so grateful for the allyship of F/friends and your continued support of our climate work. FCNL will continue to send “Inside the Greenhouse” out monthly.
Significant Changes May Be Coming to Fuel Economy Rules
The Trump administration is preparing a rollback of increased federal automobile fuel efficiency standards enacted under President Biden. They are aiming to lower the cost of gasoline-powered vehicles and reverse federal efforts to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
Fuel economy standards have been in place since 1975 to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil and to push manufacturers toward more efficient vehicle technologies. Under a rule finalized in 2024, the Biden administration required automakers to reach an average of roughly 50 miles per gallon by 2031. Federal officials estimated that these standards would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save consumers billions in fuel costs.
President Trump has long opposed federal support for EVs, and earlier this year, the Transportation Department initiated a review of the Biden-era standards, arguing they improperly relied on electric vehicle performance to set more stringent requirements. Weakening the rules would increase pollution and leave the United States less competitive in the rapidly growing global EV market.
Following the proposal’s release, the Transportation Department will hold a public comment period before finalizing the rule next year. The Environmental Protection Agency is also expected to introduce its own revisions to greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks in the months ahead.
News and Updates
Administration Proposes Opening Florida & California Waters to Oil Drilling
Trump’s administration has proposed an expansive five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan that would reopen federal waters off the California coast to drilling for the first time in forty years, while reviving longstanding political battles in the other states. The draft schedule, extending from 2026 to 2031, considers up to 34 lease sales through auctions in California, Alaska, and the eastern Gulf. Many of them would begin after President Trump’s term ends.
However, state legislators have sharply pushed back on the proposal. California lawmakers emphasized that federal leasing would face steep regulatory and legal barriers, including the state’s authority over coastal infrastructure needed to support drilling.
The plan also reignites conflict among Florida Republicans, who have historically opposed offshore drilling out of concern for the state’s tourism economy and military training areas. Despite a long-standing moratorium on drilling off Florida’s coast, which had been extended by Trump during his first term until 2032, the proposal includes lease sales in a newly-named “South-Central Gulf of America” region adjacent to the Florida panhandle.
Beyond California and Florida, the schedule also proposes extensive leasing in Alaska. The draft plan will undergo a multi-stage public comment process, with a revised schedule expected next year before the Interior Department finalizes the program.
COP30 Struggled to Achieve Robust Climate Deal
Nearly 200 countries meeting in Belém, Brazil for COP30 acknowledged that global efforts to curb dangerous warming remain insufficient, but deep geopolitical divisions prevented a stronger agreement. The final deal urges nations to enhance climate action and provide more predictable funding for vulnerable countries, yet it omits a proposal backed by the EU to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels.
The talks were marked by the unprecedented absence of the United States, which withdrew after President Trump abandoned the Paris Agreement. Without U.S. engagement, emerging economies and oil states succeeded in removing explicit references to phasing out fossil fuels from the final text. EU members, initially hesitant, accepted the watered-down agreement after securing limited revisions.
Brazil notably secured a modestly stronger outcome than its earlier drafts, including aspirations for reducing fossil fuel use and deforestation. The final text, however, remains nonbinding. Still, many countries framed the agreement as an important reaffirmation of multilateral cooperation at a moment of heightened political tension.
What We’re Reading:
- News Roundup: COP30 Wasn’t a Complete Failure | Yale Climate Connections
- US Solar Companies Urge Congress to Address Trump’s Solar Permit Freeze | Reuters
- ‘Renewable’ No More: The Trump Administration Renames the National Renewable Energy Laboratory | Inside Climate News
- Homeowners Sue Oil Companies as Climate Damage Drives up Insurance Rates | Inside Climate News
