Calif. Sues Automakes Over Greenhouse Gases

CNN.COM: Sept. 20, 2006

San Fancisco (Reuters) -- California filed a global warming lawsuit on Wednesday against Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and three other automakers, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars.

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer said the lawsuit filed in US District Court in Northern California was the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by theur vehicles' emissions.

The lawsuit also names Chrysler Motors Corp., the US arm of Germany's DaimlerChrysler, and the North American units of Hondo Motor Co., and Nissan Moto Co. Ltd.

It also charges that vehicle emissions have contributed significantly to global warming and harmed the resources, infrastructure, and environmental health of the most populous state in the United States.

Lockyer, a Democrat, said the complaint states that under federal and state common law the automakers have created a public nuisance by producing "millions of vehicles that collectively emit massive quantities of carbon dioxide."

Carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases have been linked to global warming.

The lawsuit comes after California passed legislation supported by Republican Goc. Arnold Schwarzenegger that requires the state to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020. California was the first state to mandate reduction of greenhouse gases.

California has also issued rules to force automakers to cut tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. Enforcement of those rules is being delayed by litigation from automakers.