The Obama administration granted California permission Tuesday to begin enforcing its stricter auto emissions standards, paving the way for Maryland and other states to also curb tailpipe emissions, considered a major culprit in climate change.
Under an agreement reached among the governments, industry and environmentalists, the federal government will adopt the California standards and begin enforcing them nationwide in 2012.
The accord means that California, as well as Maryland and a dozen other states that also formulated their own plans, will move modestly ahead of schedule, with the most efficiency achieved by 2016 - when the average miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks sold across the country will be 35.5.
Maryland will begin enforcing its plan with the 2011 model year, just ahead of the national rules and two years behind California, according to the state Department of Environment.
Gov. Martin O'Malley called the decision "a common-sense approach to protecting the environment and investing in our clean-energy economy."
Local environmentalists applauded the news, even if it was expected. President Obama had said last month he would impose national standards matching California's.
The limits will reduce Maryland's global warming pollution by 24.7 million metric tons, about the same as eliminating pollution from 4.5 million cars for a year, according to Environment Maryland, which had fought to pass the standards in the General Assembly two years ago. An analysis by the group shows consumers could save more than $4.8 billion at the pump by 2020.
"This is great news because it will help kick our dependence on oil, reduce global-warming pollution, and save consumers money at the pump," said Tommy Landers, the group's policy advocate.
California first sought a waiver from federal rules from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2005, and more than a dozen other states moved to followed suit. But the Bush administration refused to grant the waiver last year.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said Tuesday's announcement "supports the prerogatives of the 13 states and the District of Columbia who have opted to follow California's lead. More importantly, this decision reinforces the historic agreement on nationwide emissions standards developed by a broad coalition of industry, government and environmental stakeholders earlier this year."
