Automakers v. the People
Innovate, Don't Litigate!

Under the guise of their legal and lobbyist groups—the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers—all the major automakers sued California, Vermont, and Rhode Island to attempt to block the states' laws to reduce global warming emissions from cars and trucks. However, judges in California and Vermont rejected the automakers' claims and reaffirmed the states' rights to protect their citizens from global warming.  The case in Rhode Island is still pending.

So far, thirteen other states have adopted California's clean car standard to reduce global warming emissions: Arizona, Connecticut, New Mexico, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington. Together these states amount to more than 40 percent of the U.S. auto market. Several other states, inlcuding Florida, Illinois, and Iowa are considering adopting the California standard.

The History

• (5-6-08) The Arizona Regulatory Review Council adopts a rule to implement the California Clean Car Standard, making Arizona the fourteenth state to do so.
• (4-2-08) A coalition of states, cities and environmental groups asks a federal court to compel the EPA to regulate global warming pollution from cars and trucks. The suit comes one year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the authority and the duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in order to protect public health and welfare.
• (2-2-08) Florida, Minnesota, and Iowa join the lawsuit to compel the EPA to grant the clean car standards waiver, bringing the total number of states on the suit to 19.
• (1-24-08) EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson testified before the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee on the waiver.  He holds steadfast in his decision despite reports that his analytical, legal, and scientific staff agreed that there was justification for granting California the waiver.
• (1-2-08)  Sixteen states and five environmental groups filed suit in federal court to reverse the U.S. EPA's decision to deny the waiver request that would have allowed California and  other states to adopt tougher global warming emissions standards for cars and trucks than the federal government requires. In addition to California, the other states filing the petition are: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
  
• (12-19-07) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johsnon goes against the advice of his technical and legal staff and denies California a waiver to implement it's clean car standard.  The waiver denial also blocks 12 other states from implenting the standard. Read UCS press statement about the waiver denial.
  
• (12-12-07)  A Federal District Judge in California throws out the automakers' lawsuit against the California clean car standard.  He rules in favor of defending the EPA and states' rights to regulate global warming pollution.  After similar rulings from the Supreme Court and a federal judge in Vermont, this is strike three for the automakers!
  
• (11-28-07) New Mexico becomes the 12th state to adopt the Clean Car standard. 
  
• (10-24-07) The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers filed a legal notice that they would appeal the Vermont emissions ruling.
  
• (9-27-07) The National Conference of State Legislators, sent a letter to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week urging approval of California's waiver request. Read the letter from the National Conference of State Legislators here.
  
• (9-12-07) A federal judge in Vermont ruled that states can now regulate global warming pollution from vehicles, rejecting the U.S. auto industry's claims that they do not have the technology to meet these standards. Read the UCS press release on the Vermont ruling.
  
• (8-01-07) The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10-9 for S. 1785, a bill that will set a September 30th deadline for the U.S. EPA to answer California's request to reduce global warming pollution from motor vehicles. 
  
• (7-13-07) Florida Governor Charlie Crist signs an Executive Order to adopt the California Clean Car standard for global warming emissions, making Florida the thirteenth state to adopt the standard.
  
• (6-13-07) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger notifies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that California will file a lawsuit against the federal government in October 2007 to force the EPA to act immediately on California's longstanding request for a waiver to implement its clean car standard for global warming emissions.
  
• (4-25-07) Maryland Governor O'Malley signs a law making MD the twelfth state to adopt the California Clean Car standard.
• (4-2-07) The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the EPA has the authority and the duty to regulate global warming pollution from cars and trucks in order to protect public health and welfare. (PDF fact sheet)
  
• (11-29-06) The Supreme Court hears arguments in Massachusetts v. EPA, the landmark case regarding the authority of the EPA to regulate global warming emissions from automobiles under the Clean Air Act. Learn more about the case here.
  
• (9-26-06) More than 100 members of Congress send a letter to the Bush administration urging the EPA to grant California the waiver it needs in order to implement its global warming standards for vehciles. See the press release.
  
• (9-25-06) A California federal judge rules that the automaker lawsuit will not be dismissed, and the trial will begin on January 30, 2007.
  
• (9-15-06) The first oral arguments in the lawsuit take place in federal court in Fresno, CA. California and six intervening environmental groups ask the judge to dismiss the case. See the media advisory and background sheet (PDF).
  
• (3-23-06) Oregon joins Washington and California in stronger auto emissions standards to create a "clean air corridor" for the West Coast. See how UCS countered Auto Alliance lobby efforts in the Beaver State.
  
• (2-01-06) Business 2.0 magazine rates the Auto Alliance's "Virtually Emission-Free" ad campaign as one of the "101 Dumbest Moments in Business" in 2005. See the article here.
  
• (2-15-05) As the Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, Japanese and U.S. environmental leaders call on Japan to rein in its automakers and ask them to drop out of the lawsuit against California. See the letter here.
  
• (2-4-05) Honda and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers join the suit against California's global warming regulations. (Green Car Congress)
  
• (12-07-04) Automakers file suit against California's global warming regulations for vehicles. See the UCS response here.