Yesterday five major car
companies sued the State of California for adopting the first in the nation
law to restrict global warming pollution from cars. The lawsuit is the automobile
industry's latest attempt to prevent the implementation of the law passed by
the California Legislature in 2002.
"From resisting seatbelts
to opposing catalytic converters, the automobile industry has consistently cried
wolf when asked to make cars cleaner and safer," stated Sujatha Jahagirdar,
Clean Air Advocate for Environment California. "This lawsuit is yet another
example of an attempt to delay the inevitable."
AB 1493, authored by Assemblymember
Fran Pavley, requires auto manufacturers to reduce global warming emissions
from passenger cars and light trucks beginning in 2009. Global warming is linked
to a host of public health threats, including increases in infectious disease,
heat deaths and asthma. In addition, the warming of the earth's temperature
threatens to change the state's precipitation patterns and jeopardize the Sierra
snow pack on which Californians depend for fresh water.
Cars and light trucks are
the largest source of global warming pollution in California, accounting for
40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
Yesterday's lawsuit was
filed despite evidence indicating widespread public support for the implementation
of AB 1493. In September, Environment California and a coalition of environmental,
health and business groups delivered more than 100,000 public comments to Governor
Schwarzenegger urging the implementation of the law. The comments came from
communities throughout the state, from Los Angeles to Fresno to the Bay Area.
California has been the
national leader on air pollution regulations, driven by the state's serious
air pollution problems—and California regulations have led to cleaner technologies
being deployed nationwide. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised to uphold
that tradition, by defending the law against automakers' court challenges.
