California, other states sue EPA for right to set higher emissions standards

Twenty-three states joined California in suing the Environmental Protection Agency for stripping away an Obama-era waiver that allows the state to set strict emissions standards on cars and trucks, the California's attorney general's office announced Friday.

The big picture: This is the latest in a high-stakes battle between California and the Trump administration over the fuel-efficiency of cars in America, says Axios' Amy Harder. Automakers — and drivers — are caught in the middle and likely stuck with significant uncertainty for years as these legal and regulatory fights wear on.

• One of the standards at the center of the latest lawsuit requires the sale of an increasing number of electric or other zero-emission vehicles.
• Another addresses standards for tailpipe emissions. California has stricter qualifications than the EPA requires nationally.

Between the lines, via Axios Amy Harder: If you're losing track of all the lawsuits, you're probably not alone. This lawsuit is separate from another suit filed in September, also by California and a similar set of states,

• That suit was filed against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration"to undo a parallel determination that federal law bars California from setting tailpipe emission standards," Reuters writes.

Go deeper:

• Trump moves to block California from setting own auto emissions rules
• The bumpy transition toward electric vehicles