MONTPELIER, Vt., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Vermont Wednesday rejected automakers' attempts to stop California and 14 other states from setting tough new fuel-economy standards.
U.S. District Judge William Sessions said the industry had not proved the regulations calling for cars to average 43 miles per gallon by 2016 were illegal, unsafe or unattainable.
Domestic and foreign automakers had also argued the standards would not stop global warming but would impose devastating new costs on the industry and force them to stop selling many popular models.
"History suggests that the ingenuity of the industry, once put in gear, responds admirably to most technological challenges," Sessions wrote in a 240-page decision.
The ruling said California has the right to set its own greenhouse-gas regulations and that other states, such as Vermont, have the right to follow California’s lead.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the ruling marks "another important victory in the fight against global warming."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to rule on whether California can proceed with its standards.
Environmental groups have expressed concern the Bush administration will deny California and other states permission to proceed while federal regulators create their own greenhouse-gas controls for vehicles, The Detroit News reported.
