Gearing up for car-emission fight

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed rolling back Obama-era fuel-economy standards that were to take effect after 2020, and said it wanted to block other states from creating stricter regulations on tailpipe emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation said the increased mileage required for cars built from 2021 to 2026 would put a huge dent in auto sales because the new rules would make them more expensive.

“We are delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American public that his administration would address and fix the current fuel-economy and greenhouse-gas-emissions standards,” Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement.

California, which has a federal waiver to set its own standards, said it was working with 18 other states, including New York and New Jersey, on a lawsuit to block the change.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Golden State’s former governor, said Trump was “out of his mind” if he thought California would cave on emissions.

“I hope some conservatives with a conscience will act in Washington to defend California’s waiver based on these historic Republican values,” the “Terminator” movie star said.

“But if not, I’d remind them that California has won this battle before. We will win again.”

The Trump plan is subject to a 60-day public-comment period and would not go into effect until winter.

It will allow fuel standards to reach the 37 miles per gallon the Obama administration proposed for 2020-model cars, but would then cap them so they don’t reach the target of 54.5 mpg in 2025 models.