California Governor Gavin Newsom Thursday announced that a multi-state coalition filed a motion to intervene to protect California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards.

California’s clean car standards “result in emissions reductions of hundreds of thousands of tons annually and are essential components of California’s and other states’ plans to fight climate change and protect public health,” according to Newsom’s office.

Under the Trump Administration, EPA withdrew California’s waiver and set EPA’s own GHG and ZEV standards. A coalition of 17 states adopted California’s higher standards and urged the EPA to restore California’s ability to set its own standards. EPA restored California’s waiver in March, but other states and industry groups have sued EPA to disrupt the waiver. The motion to intervene filed Thursday allows California and other states to protect their interests in the lawsuit.

Newsom commented:

California will not back down from our work to protect our communities, the economy, and environment from the climate crisis, said Governor Gavin Newsom. For decades, Congress and the EPA have given California the freedom to set emissions standards for our state based on California’s historical leadership in this field. We will stand with the federal government in defending against these radical efforts to upend the law and stand in the way of California’s clean transportation future.

California has urged the Biden Administration “to reduce emissions from the transportation sector and to reaffirm California’s authority to do the same.”