“With this announcement from President Obama less than a week into his administration, it is clear that California and the environment now have a strong ally in the White House. Allowing California and other states to aggressively reduce their own harmful vehicle tailpipe emissions would be a historic win for clean air and for millions of Americans who want more fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly cars,” said Schwarzenegger.

The California governor said his administration has been fighting for the waiver since 2005.

"We will not give up until it is granted because we owe it to our children and to our grandchildren to do more than just protect our natural resources, we must also work to improve them so that we leave behind an environment for future generations that is better than it is today,” he added.

Last week, Schwarzenegger sent an open letter to the Obama administration, urging the US Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider California’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver as part of its battle again climate change. The former President George W Bush administration’s EPA turned down California's request for the waiver. California and other states sued the EPA over that decision.