In the face of deep denial from the Bush administration, California has moved forward with regulations meant to cut the emissions of so-called "greenhouse gases," the principal villain in global warning. Now the Bush team wants to drive a stake through the heart of that effort.

California's rule -- being emulated by 10 other states -- would require automakers to cut 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions from their fleets by 2016. But here's what the White House said about that, in the preamble to a new light truck corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rule: "Any regulation governing carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles relates to average fuel economy standards and is expressly preempted ... ." So much for states rights, not to mention clean air.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration has proposed dismally weak new fuel economy standards. They will be phased in over four years, and raise the current requirement for light trucks from 22.7 miles per gallon all the way to a stunning 24 mpg by 2011. That would save 10 billion gallons of gasoline over two decades, "or roughly 25 days' worth of gas under current consumption trends," according to The New York Times.

Next they'll be telling all of us to just hold our collective breath.