Four major automakers said Thursday they had reached an agreement with California on fuel efficiency rules, bypassing a Trump administration effort to strip the state of the right to fight climate change by setting its own standards.
California and other states had vowed to enforce stricter Obama-era emissions standards, after President Donald Trump proposed rolling back the federal rules. Automakers had worried that court battles between state and federal governments could create years of uncertainty for manufacturers.
Environmental groups had mixed reactions to the California compromise, which is voluntary for the automakers and not legally binding. The plan is more stringent than Trump's proposal but looser than the Obama-era rule. California, the most populous U.S. state, accounts for about 12 percent of U.S. vehicle sales, and if the administration recognizes the deal it would allow automakers to operate under one set of rules.