We figured all along that there was more than one way to skin the car-emissions cat: Even as we applauded New Mexico's environment secretary and attorney general for joining California's lawsuit seeking state power to set auto-exhaust standards, we couldn't help thinking Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency were better places to settle the state-federal issue.

It was a tricky one: Should individual states decide how much carbon cars are allowed to emit, so that Detroit would build and sell cleaner-burning vehicles for some states, and pollution-spewing, gas-wasting hogs in others?

As part of the longstanding federal Clean Air Act, California was allowed to set its own standards, and other states could adopt them. But when the Golden State's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to demand a one-third cut in emissions, and an average 38.6 miles per gallon, his fellow Republicans in the Bush EPA turned him down.

It was a dumb move, as EPA's own technicians argued. California sued. New Mexico was quick to join the action, which drew a dozen other states' support.

But federal cases take forever — and by the time the case was joined, there was only a year or so remaining in the George W. Bush era.

No sooner did Barack Obama replace him than he ordered the EPA to pay immediate attention to California's higher-standards application.

On Tuesday, it was granted. New Mexico also will be allowed to draw up rules reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in new automobiles.

And, mirabile dictu, Detroit's on board with it: Seems the automakers have come around to the real argument put forth by Curry, King and California: Why not build cars for the whole country that would meet the more demanding states' fuel-efficiency and emissions levels?

And now that the Obama EPA has set a national standard that's within a couple of mpg of New Mexico's, the Alliance of Auto Manufactures is saying, shucks, we were already planning to make the changes it would take to build cleaner- and lighter-burning cars, maybe by 2012.

Amazing what the purveyors of big-engined SUVs can do when they have to: 35 years ago, they were saying they'd done all they could in that department; then came a contrived fuel shortage — and the Honda CVCC engine mitigating the worst effects of higher pump prices. Soon the Big Three were turning out high-mileage machines of their own.

Today, despite financial crises, our car guys say they can meet the California-New Mexico demands — without making cars more expensive or harder to find. By the time they're building them, maybe more Americans will be able to afford new cars — or need 'em whether they can afford 'em or not.

Secretary Curry and his boss, Gov. Bill Richardson, hail the EPA turnaround as a victory for pioneering states — and it is, even though the car association dismisses this week's decision as "largely symbolic."

If that's all it is, you wonder why the manufacturers fought these reforms tooth and nail while they had a capitalist-compliant White House and their lobbyists ruled the previous Congress.

Curry expects further greenhouse-gas reduction laws from Congress — some sooner, some later, we'd guess.

Meanwhile, it's encouraging to see government and industry, in this case at least, on the same page.