S. 4908, Fuel-Economy Deregulation Trigger. Quorum's AI analysis reads it as a net cost — and names who bears it.
S. 4908 · Net cost
What it does
This bill allows the federal government to weaken fuel-economy standards (CAFE standards) for cars if gasoline prices rise sharply—specifically, if gas prices climb at least 5 times faster than overall inflation over any 180-day period. It also increases penalties on automakers who fail to meet fuel-economy rules, from $25 to $50 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg shortfall. The bill creates a mechanism to automatically trigger a review of fuel standards whenever gas spikes, potentially loosening rules that currently push automakers to build more efficient vehicles.
The analysis names automotive manufacturers — and 1 more group — among the beneficiaries.
The cost
The 5x inflation multiplier is a low threshold: a 20% inflation spike paired with a 100% gas-price spike would trigger review. This creates a hair-trigger for deregulation during volatile commodity markets, not just genuine crises.
The analysis put a high warning level on this bill. Transparency scores 45%, and the analysis found no provisions unrelated to the bill's subject.
Who is behind it
Filed by Ed Markey.
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