California sues carmakers over global warming
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thursday September 21, 2:48 AM Reuters
*California sues carmakers over global warming*
By Michael Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California on Wednesday sued six of the
world's largest automakers, including General Motors Corp. and Toyota
Motor Corp., over global warming, charging that greenhouse gases from
their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California was the
first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages
caused by their vehicles' emissions, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer
said.
"(California) just passed a new law to cut global warming emissions by
25 percent and that's a good start, and this lawsuit is a good next
step," said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming
Program.
Lockyer told Reuters he would seek "tens or hundreds of millions of
dollars" from the automakers.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for past and ongoing contributions to
global warming and asks that the companies be held liable for future
monetary damages to California.
It noted that California is spending millions to deal with reduced snow
pack, beach erosion, ozone pollution, and the impact on endangered
animals and fish.
"The injuries have caused the people to suffer billions of dollars in
damages, including millions of dollars of funds expended to determine
the extent, location and nature of future harm and to prepare for and
mitigate those harms, and billions of dollars of current harm to the
value of flood control infrastructure and natural resources," it said.
The lawsuit also names Ford Motor Co., the Chrysler Motors Corp. U.S.
arm of Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG and the North American units of
Japan's Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd..
Ford deferred comment to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an
industry group which could not immediately be reached. The other
automakers had no immediate comment.
The lawsuit also marks the latest fight between California and the motor
industry over greenhouse gases. The state has adopted rules to force
automakers to cut tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks, but those
regulations are being delayed by lawsuits from the motor industry.
In the complaint, Lockyer charges that vehicle emissions have
contributed significantly to global warming and have harmed the
resources, infrastructure and environmental health of the most populous
state in the United States.
Lockyer -- a Democratic candidate for state treasurer in the November
election -- said the lawsuit 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.