(Image source from: northjersey.com)

New Jersey joined several states on Thursday in opposing the Trump administration's plans to weaken fuel efficiency goals for cars and trucks including revoking states long-standing authority to set their own, stricter mileage standards.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said he would press forward with a lawsuit filed in May that challenged the decision by the United States Environmental Protection to declare Obama-era vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency goals through 2025 as "not appropriate."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its proposed rule changes on Thursday.

"Today the federal government has taken yet another shot at our environment," Grewal said. "That's why I am committed to challenging this reckless and unlawful action in court."

At 2020 levels the U.S. mileage standards would freeze if the proposal gets finalized when the new vehicle fleet will be needed to hit an average of 30 miles per gallon in real-world driving. The Obama administration had planned to keep strengthening fuel requirements through 2026 when fleets were to average 54.5 miles per gallon.

It would significantly reduce the level of harmful emissions from cars and trucks, saving 40,000 lives annually through cleaner air.

New Jersey is one of about a dozen states that want to follow California's lead in setting their own standards to help lower high levels of smog that causes the state's air quality to continually receive failing grades from the American Lung Association.

California has had the authority under the half-century-old Clean Air Act to set its own mileage standards to combat its chronic smog problem.

Amounting to about 40 percent of the country's new-vehicle market, over dozen states follow California's standards.

"We need to be doing more to solve the problem of climate change, not less," Grewal said. "This is especially important in New Jersey, where storms and rising sea level will hit us hard. So even as the federal government fails to do its job, we're going to do ours."

By Sowmya Sangam