In a landmark ruling, the state of Vermont has won its legal case against a consortium of US and European car manufacturers, making the state’s emissions regulations legal. The car makers sued the state of Vermont for setting emission targets that are stricter than the national levels set by the president, in their view over-riding federal law. This follows the US Supreme Court’s official recognition of global warming earlier this year, thereby allowing individual states to set their own emission levels, which means it is out of president Bush’s hands now. California has the strictest emission controls in the world, limiting the sale of polluting vehicles. California’s governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the Vermont ruling is an "important victory in the fight against global warming."
Unfortunately the car makers are planning to appeal the ruling, saying that they cannot meet these targets and as a result up to 65,000 jobs will be lost in the US. David Bookbinder of the Sierra Club environmental organisation said the car industry should “stop wasting millions on legal fees and start paying their engineers to build these cars to be cleaner”. Sounds like good advice!
From the US:
The carmakers are worried about job loss? They can't sell the behemoths they have on the lots now. I drive by them all the time and the lots are choked! What about all that wasted labor? Meanwhile efficient imports (and Europe-designed American cars like the Focus) can't be kept on the lot. The stockholders are taking a beating too. Ford no longer pays a dividend. Chrysler has lost 70% of its market value.
The backlash against gigantic cars could be seen coming years ago. US auto executives are guilty of malpractice and should be sued by their shareholders.