Published: Saturday, February 24, 2001

GM sues California over electric car rules

LEON DROUIN KEITH ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES General Motors sued California's air-quality board Friday, contending that its requirement that automakers produce thousands more electric vehicles illegally ignores cheaper and safer pollution-fighting options. The pollution reductions generated by the electric vehicle requirements would be about 150 times more expensive than any other Air Resources Board rule, GM officials argue.

``There's no problem with technically being able to do it,'' said Dennis Minano, GM vice president for environment and energy. ``The issue is it doesn't make sense in terms of being a good policy in terms of the clean-air impact.''

GM officials add that the rules would encourage automakers to meet their zero emission quotas with golf-cart-sized commuter cars that would endanger motorists sharing the road with much larger vehicles.

The lawsuit was filed by GM and three of its California dealers in Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Air board spokesman Jerry Martin said GM's ``plan was to sue us all along. They never intended to try to meet requirements of the (zero emission vehicle) rule or discuss with us any options that were viable.''

Sandra Spelliscy, an attorney for the Planning and Conservation League, said GM is using ``a lot of old, tired arguments that do not ring true.''

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), February 24, 2001