Automakers lose court fight

Automakers cannot sue to block Rhode Island from enforcing tighter standards on tailpipe emissions first adopted by California, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres dismissed General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler Corp. and two automakers’ associations from the case, but his ruling permits several local car dealers to pursue the lawsuit. The automobile manufacturers have lost similar cases in California and Vermont.

In his ruling, Torres said, “It is difficult to see what interest the public has in permitting the plaintiffs another bite of the apple in challenging regulations limiting the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”