WASHINGTON — New Jersey joined California and 21 other states Friday in challenging President Donald Trump’s efforts to take away their powers to regulate automobile emissions.

Trump proposed revoking California’s right to set its own standards for automobiles and light trucks, which New Jersey and 12 other states follow, as he moved toward relaxing new fuel economy standards set during President Barack Obama’s administration.

A lawsuit by the states filed in U.S. District Court in Washington said California has had the right to regulate vehicle emissions for 60 years and “its authority to do so has been repeatedly recognized, reaffirmed, and even expanded by Congress.”

Indeed, the federal government has incorporated the California standards in its own regulations.

“It is bad enough that the administration has turned a blind eye to climate change, but now our federal government is trying to stop states like New Jersey from tackling this existential threat,” state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal sald. “For decades, states have regulated vehicle emissions to protect the health and safety of our residents, and federal law gives us the right to do so."

Rather than the requirement of achieving average fuel economy of 54 miles per gallon by 2025, Trump administration would freeze the standards after 2021 at around 37 mpg.

Trump insisted that his proposals to relax fuel economy standards would make vehicles safer and cheaper.

The Trump Administration is revoking California’s Federal Waiver on emissions in order to produce far less expensive cars for the consumer, while at the same time making the cars substantially SAFER. This will lead to more production because of this pricing and safety...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2019

....far safer and much less expensive. Many more cars will be produced under the new and uniform standard, meaning significantly more JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Automakers should seize this opportunity because without this alternative to California, you will be out of business. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2019

Consumer Reports, however, estimated that the rollback would cost consumers $460 billion, or more than $3,300 over the life of new motor vehicle bought in 2026. That’s the equvalent of a 63 cent per gallon gas tax, the publication said.

Gov. Phil Murphy criticized the Trump administration’s "dangerous attempt to block states from protecting the health and safety of their residents.”

“During a time when the federal government has refused to take action to address the threat of climate change, it is up to the states to take the lead in the fight to preserve our environment,” Murphy said.

Four automobile manufacturers, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, and Honda, separately agreed to follow California’s stricter standards, leading Trump’s Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation against them.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. and antitrust subcommittee chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., on Friday accused the administration of using its “legal antitrust authority for partisan political purposes.”

“The potential abuse of the Department of Justice’s enforcement authorities to target perceived political adversaries of the president are of significant interest to the committee,” the lawmakers wrote to the White House and Justice Department.

And Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, blasted what he called “a fiercely hypocritical attack on the Clean Air Act and states’ rights."

“This move threatens to sabotage our fight against climate change, worsen air quality conditions across the country, force consumers to pay for less efficient cars, and throw the automotive industry into uncertainty and chaos," said Pallone, D-6th Dist. "It is yet more evidence that this administration is guided by the president’s unrelenting incompetence and malfeasance. We deserve better.”

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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