SAN FRANCISCO (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 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.
The lawsuit also names Chrysler Motors Corp., the U.S. arm of Germany's DaimlerChrysler, and the North American units of Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor 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 Gov. 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.
? Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
I think those companys should shut down all plants in that state and not sell cars there any more.
The state of California is a public nuisance.
OOps maybe this is a joke?
Nope it appears to be a true Reuters story, if theres an after life Ayn Rand must be chuckling her ass off.
The proper solution for the auto makers, just like gun makers, would be to refuse to sell any of their products in states or cities that sue them, especially to government agencies!
Fat chance of that happening, but wouldn't you like to see them announce publicly: "We're sorry. We hereby immediately withdraw all our products, sales and service, from California."
Quote from: Pat K on September 20, 2006, 05:07 PM NHFT
if theres an after life Ayn Rand must be chuckling her ass off.
... having JUST recouperated from all the laughing her ass off at the spectacle last year of all the fools in Washington DC excoriating the oil companies for "making too much profit!"
They need to declare independence all-god-damned ready. That state is far too different from the other 49 to ever fit in.
Quote from: KBCraig on September 20, 2006, 05:08 PM NHFT
The proper solution for the auto makers, just like gun makers, would be to refuse to sell any of their products in states or cities that sue them, especially to government agencies!
Fat chance of that happening, but wouldn't you like to see them announce publicly: "We're sorry. We hereby immediately withdraw all our products, sales and service, from California."
That was my first thought.
I can see it now, I'm watching the news to get the weather and the first headline is an announcement co-written by all of the major car manufacturers saying they will stop selling new cars in California due to pending litigation and unfair business restrictions. :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
Just wait till the ppl go into the showrooms and the salesmen say, "Sorry Sir, we just have those old junkers over there, and it's up to you to get them past inspections."
Quote from: aries on September 20, 2006, 06:57 PM NHFT
They need to declare independence all-god-damned ready. That state is far too different from the other 49 to ever fit in.
I'd be happy to support the secession of the People's Democratic Soviet Socialist Republic of California. Just as long as I'm nowhere near the place. ;D
Quote from: d_goddard on September 20, 2006, 06:45 PM NHFT
Quote from: Pat K on September 20, 2006, 05:07 PM NHFT
if theres an after life Ayn Rand must be chuckling her ass off.
... having JUST recouperated from all the laughing her ass off at the spectacle last year of all the fools in Washington DC excoriating the oil companies for "making too much profit!"
I dunno. I think she's still be trying to recover from the shock of discovering that there is an afterlife.
Quote from: KBCraig on September 20, 2006, 08:24 PM NHFT
Quote from: d_goddard on September 20, 2006, 06:45 PM NHFT
Quote from: Pat K on September 20, 2006, 05:07 PM NHFT
if theres an after life Ayn Rand must be chuckling her ass off.
... having JUST recouperated from all the laughing her ass off at the spectacle last year of all the fools in Washington DC excoriating the oil companies for "making too much profit!"
I dunno. I think she's still be trying to recover from the shock of discovering that there is an afterlife.
Nope she would have found out her premise was wrong and adjusted.
though she probably would be quite miffed. :)
My condo is in escrow. My last day of work is Tuesday. I'm tempted to stay just long enough to vote for more socialism and speed the rapid death spiral before I bail out so CA can serve as an example to the rest of the country. This place is such a fucking Hell hole of left-wing bullshit.
Go dalebert Go!!!!
Wow, I didn't realize you were moving Dalebert. Where you headed to?
My secret wish is that the San Andreas fault splits off Kalifornia from the mainland, allowing it to drift up and join Russia...where it belongs.
I suspect that the suit against the car companies and their audacious attempt to sell a perfectly legal product to the citizens of Kalifornia will go about as far as the suits against firearm manufacturers....that is, nowhere.
Yanno, California sets its own emissions standards, through CARB, and they're tougher than the federal standards.
So, now California wants to sue automakers for complying with the standards set by California?
<Stossel>Gimme a break!</Stossel>
When I was living there, I knew a guy who worked for the AirBoard... they wanted to make it mandatory to have an RFID chip installed on your car that measured your emissions and reported to the state when you were over the limit.
Quote from: Kat Kanning on September 21, 2006, 08:30 AM NHFT
Wow, I didn't realize you were moving Dalebert. Where you headed to?
Hard to say. Maybe Pasadena for a month or two and then on to Atlanta where friends and family are. I'll try to recruit more FSPers there. I'll be purposefully unemployed for 6 mos so I have to live lean. Then I might have a better idea of what I want to do.
Quote from: dalebert on September 21, 2006, 10:23 PM NHFT
Then I might have a better idea of what I want to do.
Move to uhmm....... NH?
That is the general theme here
:blush: I guess I assumed that if someone here was moving, it'd be to NH.
Quote from: RichW on September 21, 2006, 05:06 PM NHFT
My secret wish is that the San Andreas fault splits off Kalifornia from the mainland, allowing it to drift up and join Russia...where it belongs.
I suspect that the suit against the car companies and their audacious attempt to sell a perfectly legal product to the citizens of Kalifornia will go about as far as the suits against firearm manufacturers....that is, nowhere.
OMG you one-upped me on that one! I was about to say, pray for an earthquake!