The six largest vehicle manufacturers in the US, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan and Honda, have asked a US federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by the state of California that accuses them of harming human health and the environment by producing vehicles that contribute to global warming.
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According to the Associated Press, the companies filed a motion in US District Court in Oakland on Friday, for California’s suit to be tossed out.
The lawyer representing the vehicle manufacturers said state officials should reduce automotive emissions through regulation rather than litigation.
Califronia’s suit was filed in September by state attorney general Bill Lockyer. Lockyer is seeking potentially billions of dollars of damage to water supplies, coastline, forests, wildlife and public health.
“Basically, what we are saying is it’s old-fashioned economics. You should pay for the damage you cause,” Lockyer said in an interview with the LA Times in September.
Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said, “Using nuisance suits to address global warming would involve the courts in deciding political questions beyond their jurisdiction. This opens the door to lawsuits targeting any activity that uses fossil fuel for energy.”
Vehicle manufacturers are also in dispute with the state of California over a 2002 law requiring them to cut emissions. Under the law, the California Air Resources Board has adopted standards designed to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks by 25% and from sport utility vehicles by 18% starting in 2009. That law has since been copied by 10 other states.
The automotive industry is challenging those regulations, arguing such reductions can only come from stricter fuel-economy standards, which are the province of the US government. That case is expected to go to trial on 30 January.
