S. 4908: Gas Money Saved Act

This bill would change how federal fuel economy rules are reviewed and would restore certain penalties related to those rules.

Fuel economy review process

The bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to start a process to reconsider whether the current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are set at the right level. This review would be triggered if, over a qualifying period of at least 180 days, the average national price of gasoline has increased at least five times faster than overall inflation, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The qualifying period would be:

• The first 180-day-or-longer period after the bill becomes law, if no earlier adjustment has been made under this provision; or

• Any 180-day-or-longer period after the most recent adjustment, if the standards have already been adjusted once under this section.

If the gasoline-price condition is met, NHTSA would have to begin the reevaluation process. The bill does not itself change the CAFE standards directly; it requires the agency to review them under the specified condition.

Penalty changes

The bill would also amend existing federal law to restore monetary penalties for violations of fuel economy requirements. Specifically, it would change two penalty amounts from $0.00 to:

• $25 in one part of the law

• $50 in another part of the law

In plain terms, this means automakers could face fines again for not meeting certain fuel economy obligations, instead of the penalties being set at zero.

Relevant Companies

• F — Ford Motor Company: could be affected by any changes to federal fuel economy standards and related compliance penalties for vehicle fleets.

• GM — General Motors: could be affected by changes to CAFE standards and fines tied to fuel economy compliance.

• STLA — Stellantis: could be affected by revised fuel economy requirements and associated penalties.

• TSLA — Tesla: could be indirectly affected if fuel economy rules or compliance credits shift, though the impact would depend on the final regulatory changes.