California sued the administration of President George W Bush Wednesday over the refusal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the state to impose strict limits on vehicle emissions that cause global warming.

The EPA "has done nothing at the national level to curb greenhouse gases, and now it has wrongfully and illegally blocked California's landmark tailpipe emissions standards," Attorney General Jerry Brown said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit against the EPA.

Fifteen other states joined California's suit.

The lawsuit came less than two weeks after the EPA announced its decision, prompting California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to call the organization the "environmental destruction agency."

California and the 15 other states, which represent over half the US population, had sought to require car manufacturers to lower emissions to 23 per cent below current new-car levels by 2012 and 30 per cent by 2016 - tougher standards than those imposed by the energy bill signed into law two weeks ago by Bush.

But EPA administrator Stephen Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government to impose the tough standards.

Johnson said the state laws were made unnecessary by the new energy bill, which raises fuel economy standards for all cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 - about 14 kilometres per litre.

"It's important to put this in perspective - (the new law) applies to all 50 states," Johnson said. "Not 12 states, not 17 states, all 50 states. That is great from an environmental perspective."

The EPA had delayed its ruling for over two years and was forced to act only after court action by California.