Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday said pressure from the auto industry will not deter California from attempting to impose strict emission rules for vehicles sold in the state. The Republican governor met privately with seven auto executives who requested the get-together. In an interview afterward, he said he told them "the train has left the station" and that they should stop challenging California rules that are intended to help slow the rate of global warming. "I said, 'While you're whining, you should be creating new technologies. That's how you meet the date," Schwarzenegger told The Associated Press after meeting with members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
The trade group is pushing back against California rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are part of the state's wider effort to address global warming. California wants emissions to be cut by nearly a third for all vehicles sold in the state by 2016. That's four years earlier than similar emission rules proposed by the federal government. Auto manufacturers say the California benchmark can't be met on time and that they have successfully blocked them from taking effect. It was the first time Schwarzenegger and auto executives have met after years of being at odds over California's tailpipe rules. While neither side made any concessions Thursday, they agreed to work together on alternative ways automakers might help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.