WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity joined eight other groups today in suing the Trump administration for trying to prevent California and other states from setting more protective vehicle pollution standards.

Today’s lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, says that the Environmental Protection Agency had no authority to revoke the right of California and other states to set more stringent standards or require automobile manufacturers to include more zero-emission vehicles in their fleets.

“Kids with asthma shouldn’t have to breathe dirtier air because Donald Trump has a grudge against California,” said Maya Golden-Krasner, a Los Angeles-based attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Trump officials have no legal right to crush Californians’ efforts to protect our lungs from smog and our planet from the carbon pollution pouring out of cars and SUVs.”

The transportation sector is now America’s biggest source of planet-warming pollution, and nearly 60 percent of these emissions come from cars, trucks and SUVs. California’s recent vehicle pollution rules have reduced smog-forming pollution 75 percent compared to 2014 and greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent compared to 2016.

The Trump administration’s action is the first time in history the EPA has attempted to revoke a waiver it previously granted under the Clean Air Act.