WASHINGTON – In a decision with implications for Maine, the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday slapped down California’s bid for first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs.

The decision denied a request for a waiver that would have allowed those restrictions to take effect.

The long-awaited decision amounted to a serious setback for California and 16 other states seeking the new car regulations to achieve their anti-global warming goals.

At issue were tailpipe standards California adopted in 2004 that would have forced automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016, with the cutbacks beginning in the 2009 model year.

The state needed a federal waiver to implement the rules.

Twelve other states – Maine, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – have adopted the California emissions standards, and the governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have said they also plan to adopt them.

With the denial, those other states are also prevented from moving forward.