WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing climate-damaging tailpipe emissions, 23 U.S. governors signed a pledge backing California leaders in their showdown with the Trump administration over its plans to relax vehicle mileage standards.

The stand by leaders of states and Puerto Rico, nearly all Democrats, comes as the Trump administration moves to freeze tougher mileage standards laid out by former President Barack Obama, in one of the previous administration’s key efforts against climate change.

The Trump administration says American consumers increasingly want bigger, gas-guzzling SUVs and pickup trucks . It also argues that demanding ever-more fuel-efficient vehicles will drive up automobile costs and keep less-safe, older vehicles on the road longer. Many engineers have challenged that claim.

The governors’ pledge on Tuesday commits to sticking to the pre-Trump mileage goals, a program of annual tightening in mileage standards that reduce climate-changing carbon emissions.

“We will not compromise on our responsibility to protect the health of our communities, our climate, and the savings consumers stand to gain at the pump,” said the pledge, also signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We will continue to pursue additional concrete actions to fulfill this duty and defend against any threats.”

Besides California and Puerto Rico, leaders of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin signed the mileage pledge.

The Environmental Protection Agency didn’t immediately comment on the pledge, which was made public overnight.

The commitment underscores prospects for years of legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty for automakers if the Trump administration moves ahead on the mileage freeze over objections from California and other states.

President Donald Trump has pushed automakers to support him in his bid to relax mileage standards. Last month, major automakers instead appealed for the administration to return to talks with California, after breaking off negotiations.

Newsom indicated he wasn’t optimistic about any breakthroughs with the administration ahead of it issuing its mileage rule.

“I don’t sense they’re sincere in their commitment to sit down and negotiate,” he said, and cited the administration’s overall backing for the country’s oil and gas industry.

Congress for decades has granted California authority to set its own, tougher mileage standards as a way of fighting the state’s chronic smog. About a dozen states follow California’s mileage standards, although under Obama the federal and state mileage standards were the same.

Related Stories
‹
Town of Carrboro Argues Case in Duke Energy, Climate Change Lawsuit's Initial Hearing
The Town of Carrboro presented its legal rationale for continuing a 2024 climate change-focused lawsuit against Duke Energy on Thursday.
Report: War-Triggered Gas Boom Threatens World Climate Goal
Written by SETH BORENSTEIN The war-inspired natural gas boom is undermining already insufficient efforts to limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree, a new report says. Planning and build-up of liquified and other natural gas — due to an energy crisis triggered by Russian’s invasion of Ukraine — would add 2 billion tons of […]
Supreme Court Limits EPA in Curbing Power Plant Emissions
Written by MARK SHERMAN In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not […]
Climate Talks Draft Agreement Expresses ‘Alarm and Concern’
Written by SETH BORENSTEIN, ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and FRANK JORDANS Governments are poised to express “alarm and concern” about how much Earth has already warmed and encourage one another to end their use of coal, according to a draft released Wednesday of the final document expected at U.N. climate talks. The early version of the document […]
Volkswagen Triples Electric Car Sales Ahead of Climate Rules
Europe’s push into electric cars is gathering speed — despite the pandemic. Automaker Volkswagen tripled sales of battery-only cars in 2020 as its new electric compact ID.3 came on the market ahead of tough new European Union limits on auto emissions. And Germany, long a laggard in adopting electric vehicles, saw more people buy electrics […]
France Records Around 1,000 Additional Deaths as Extreme Heat Breaks European Records
World Health Organization warned that Europe is now the fastest-warming continent and needs to do more to protect its citizens.
Exceptionally Early Heat Wave Shatters Records and Brings Deaths in Europe
The United Kingdom smashed a century-old temperature record for the second time in 24 hours on Tuesday amid a spring heat wave.
Somalia Is in a Deadly Drought Again. Most Humanitarian Aid Isn’t There This Time
Yet another drought is affecting millions of people across Somalia as it feels climate shocks. Cuts to aid are compounding the crisis.
As the Planet Warms, Scientists Burn Homes to Figure Out How to Best Protect Them in Wildfires
From 2016 to 2025, wildfires in the United States on average burned an area the size of Massachusetts each year, costing billions in damages.
Warming Winters Lead to More Nitrate Pollution in the Drinking Water Near Farms
The nitrates come from fertilizer and pesticides that get into the soil and then waterways. The cost to filter it out reaches customers.
›