California Tries to Drive Car Business Out of State

From the land of dumb lawsuits comes a doozy:

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 (imagine my surprise-HC) , 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."

Unlike the Dems, let's think about this for a moment. California already has some of the toughest emission standards in the country, and the idiotic blends of gasoline we have to use here guarantees that our gas prices are some of the highest anywhere. While gas in some parts of the country has dropped below $2, we're still paying around $2.75.

What State regulations have the car makers violated? Have they not built their cars according to California's regulations and standards? How then can they be sued for greenhouse gas emissions if the products they build are totally within California law? Have they sold more cars than the law allows? Shouldn't Lockyer be suing the legislature instead for allowing the levels of emissions currently approved by State law?

And how will all your union supporters react when they realize that this suit has the potential to damage an already hurting U.S. auto industry? Don't look for many contribution for the United Auto Workers.

This is nothing more than a showboating suit by Lockyear who has aspirations of higher office and is trying to get on the good side of the environwackos. Personally, I expect this suit to get laughed out of court.

Bill Lockyer needs to get his head out of his tailpipe.