Obama to permit stricter standards for car fumes

US President Barack Obama is expected to give states permission to set their own stricter standards for vehicle exhaust emissions.



The move should overturn a Bush administration decision, which favoured a national standard for vehicle pollution.



California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had asked Mr. Obama to reverse the Bush administration\'s insistence on a single, national standard.



According to White House officials, President Obama is also expected to set new rules for carmakers to improve their products\' fuel efficiency.



The officials said Obama is preparing to order the Environmental Protection Agency to begin work on granting California and 13 other states an exemption from the federal Clear Air Act.



This will allow the states to set their own standards on exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency by 2011.