Air advocate says California will prevail

WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- California auto emissions standards, tougher than U.S. laws, will likely prevail as an industry standard, the head of the state's air pollution board said.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, pointed out Monday that all three major presidential candidates were supportive of California's standard's, which mandate fuel economy of about 35 miles per gallon by 2016 -- four years ahead of federal mandates.

The Bush administration has blocked California and the states that adopted their guidelines from enforcing their rules, although two federal courts have blocked legal challenges backed by the automobile industry, the Detroit Free Press reported.

With a change of administration "we finally believe we are going to move forward with this program," Nichols said a Society of Automotive Engineers panel discussion event in Washington.