Good thing California’s got an action hero for a governor, because it’s apparently going to require all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s super powers to overturn yesterday’s galling, appalling ruling from the EPA denying California the right to set more stringent standards for tailpipe emissions. Schwarzenegger’s already vowed to sue, but there’s no telling whether he can prevail over an administration determined to drag its feet on climate change.The Clean Air Act gives California “special authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history of smog and other air-quality problems,” as the San Francisco Chronicle notes, but it requires a waiver from the EPA to do so.The EPA has never denied California such a waiver before, allowing the state to lead the nation when it comes to tackling air pollution from automobiles. The waiver California sought would have required automakers to reduce vehicle emissions 30 percent by 2016, and 17 additional states were poised to adopt California’s stricter standards.So why deny the waiver this time? The EPA dropped this bombshell late yesterday”too late to make the evening news”and justified its indefensible decision by stating that it could find no “compelling and extraordinary conditions” to grant a waiver.The announcement unleashed a tsunami of fury from environmentalists and more enlightened politicians who recognize the need to take drastic action now to reduce auto emissions. Attorney General Jerry Brown told the AFP:

“It is completely absurd to assert that California does not have a compelling need to fight global warming by curbing greenhouse gas emissions from cars.”

The EPA insists that the just-signed energy bill sets a nationwide standard that’s sufficient to address the problem. Needless to say, “the decision thrilled automakers,” as the Chronicle reports, adding that the industry had lobbied hard to stop California”and the 17 states ready to follow its lead–from demanding a higher standard.The auto industry’s stranglehold on our government is choking the whole nation and the world beyond. Will Schwarzenegger triumph over the pro-carbon cabal? It’s not often that I root for a Republican, but you can bet I’m hoping that Schwarzenegger wins this battle. If he loses, we all lose.