SACRAMENTO — The state of California sued the country's largest automobile manufacturers Wednesday, seeking billions of dollars for environmental damage caused by tailpipe emissions.
It was the state's latest effort to combat the effects of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming. The lawsuit drew praise and criticism for Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, who filed it on behalf of the state.
"We think that today's decision is more about politics than global warming," said Gary Toebben, chief executive of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. "It seems like a very political decision on the part of the attorney general." Automakers said the complaint had no legal merit.
Environmentalists praised Lockyer for going after cars, one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas pollution. It's "another sign that we've entered a new era in tackling global warming," said Jason Barbose of Environment California, an activist group.
There was also guarded praise from a member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's cabinet. "We applaud any effort to defend California's right to clean our air," California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Linda Adams said.
The federal lawsuit contends that the greenhouses gases, mostly carbon dioxide, emitted from cars is a public nuisance and that automakers should pay for damages to the state's environment and public works.
"Basically, what we are saying is it's old-fashioned economics. You should pay for the damage you cause," Lockyer said in an interview. He noted that "the automobile industry manufactures products that are the largest growing source of carbon emission in the state and country."
Lockyer, whose term ends in December, is running for state treasurer in November as a Democrat.
The complaint seeks unspecified damages of potentially billions of dollars for current and future damage to the state's water supplies, coastline, forests, wildlife and public health.
If successful, Lockyer said, the suit could generate funds to protect the Sierra snowpack and repair the canals and reservoirs that bring water to Los Angeles from Northern California.
It could also be used to bolster flood control projects and repair coastal erosion, he added.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland, names General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor North America Inc., Ford Motor Co., Honda North America Inc. Chrysler Group and Nissan North America Inc. as defendants.
