After EPA Emissions Rollback, California Puts Automakers in a Tight Spot

California is firing back at the Trump administration with a plan to safeguard the state's greenhouse gas emissions rules from a proposed federal rollback. A state Air Resources Board proposal released Tuesday would force automakers to meet California's existing standards on car and truck pollution, even if weaker ones are adopted by Trump administration. California regulators said the clarification is a protective move intended to close a potential loophole automaker might use to elude compliance with tougher standards adopted jointly with the Obama administration. Mary Nichols, who chairs the California Air Resources Board, said the changes make it clear to auto manufacturers that they will have to adhere to two different emissions standards: One for California and the dozen other states that follow its rules and another for the rest of the country.