California seeks to resolve pollution suit with automakers

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -- New California Attorney General Jerry Brown said today he had sent a letter to the chiefs of six major automakers to resolve a greenhouse gas damage lawsuit started by his predecessor in September.

The California lawsuit charged that greenhouse gases from the automakers' vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages in the state.

The suit targets General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., the Chrysler group, American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan North America.

Brown also said that he had filed today a brief opposing a motion by the automakers to dismiss the lawsuit.

In his letter to the carmakers, Brown, a Democrat who was elected last November, said he wanted to meet with each of the CEOs of the six companies "to discuss resolution of our pending litigation and moving forward cooperatively."