Washington, Oct 3 — A coalition of 27 states, counties and cities has sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its final rule weakening fuel-economy standards.

The lawsuit was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Oregon AG Dan Rayfield and Connecticut AG William Tong joined the coalition.

The suit says the rule violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, which requires standards at the “maximum feasible” level. The states argue the new five-year targets are lower than what the US fleet already achieved in 2021.

The coalition says NHTSA removed electric vehicles from its calculations and glossed over nearly $220 billion in driver fuel savings.

The Conservation Law Foundation said existing standards would have saved 64 billion gallons of gasoline and $35 billion for consumers. The final rule lets model year 2031 vehicles be less efficient than the 2024 fleet. The states want the First Circuit to overturn the rule. Consumer groups say weaker standards will raise household fuel bills during record-high gas prices.