California skirts Trump, signs mileage deal with 4 companies

DETROIT (AP) — Four major automakers have reached a deal with California to increase gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions standards, bypassing the Trump administration's push to freeze requirements at 2021 levels.

Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen signed the deal with the California Air Resources Board, the state's air pollution regulator, which had been at odds with the Trump administration for months. California has said it would exercise its powers to set more stringent pollution and mileage standards than the federal government has proposed.

The Trump administration reacted angrily to the end run, with Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Michael Abboud calling it a "PR stunt" and charging that California regulators "continually refused to produce reasonable and responsible proposals."

The Trump administration has sought to freeze Obama administration standards, keeping fleetwide new-vehicle mileage at 2021 levels of about 30 mpg. The administration says the extra expense to comply with the requirements will raise the price of new cars, depriving buyers of new safety technology. The administration also has threatened to challenge California's ability to set its own standards.

In a statement Thursday, California regulators said their deal delays by one year the new-vehicle fuel efficiency requirements approved under the Obama administration for model years 2022 through 2025. That means the fleet of new vehicles would have to average around 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving by 2026. The deal also slightly slows the rate of growth in the early years "to provide additional lead time" for the auto industry, the statement said.

The four automakers see the California agreement as "insurance" to provide some certainty to the industry and the state no matter who wins the 2020 presidential elections,...