California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will sue the U.S. government over its refusal to allow California to impose stricter limits on vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions than the national standard.
The governor made his announcement Thursday, a day after the Environmental Protection Agency said it had rejected the request. He said he is extremely disappointed by the EPA decision, calling it another example of the failure to treat climate change with the seriousness it demands.
Wednesday's rejection came hours after President Bush signed into law a sweeping new energy bill that increases fuel efficiency standards to 15 kilometers per liter by 2020.
California wanted to adopt tighter state emissions standards, but EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said allowing such a move would lead to "a confusing patchwork of state rules."
U.S. auto makers lobbied hard against the tougher rules in Washington, saying such regulations would hurt their industry.
California was seeking a waiver from the EPA through the federal Clean Air Act that allows individual states to set their own pollution rules.
The EPA's ruling also affects 16 other states seeking to impose tougher emissions standards similar to California's.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
