Big Auto loses emissions case in federal court

The foot-dragging and excuses just aren't working as well as they did in the past when they actually employed people.

A federal judge in Vermont yesterday rejected an attempt by automakers to block individual states from adopting their own standards for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

Judge William Sessions III of U.S. District Court in Burlington ruled that state action to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles -- standards that originated in California in 2002 and have since been adopted by Vermont and at least 10 other states -- was not preempted by federal rules on vehicle fuel economy.

Big Auto should be spending more time and money figuring out how to change with the market instead of sending teams of lawyers to block environmental regulations.