EDITORIAL PUBLIC NUISANCE LOCKYER'S GASEOUS LAWSUIT.

CALIFORNIA Attorney General Bill Lockyer has sued six major automakers, claiming they are responsible for greenhouse gases that pose a ``public nuisance'' -- a term that could apply to him from time to time.

Now, there are some serious people in California doing serious things about the potential dangers of global warming. The Legislature just passed, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed, a bill to reduce greenhouse emissions in the state.

But Lockyer's absurd lawsuit is anything but serious.

The state of California sets standards for the vehicles sold here. It registers the cars. It collects taxes on them every year. And it does so knowing as well as anybody that the exhaust fumes they release are hazardous to the public health.

So how in the world can the state government claim that makers of a legal, highly regulated product are committing some sort of public offense?

And if automobile manufacturers are legally liable for greenhouse gases, then surely they aren't alone. What about the state itself, which has thousands of vehicles in its fleet? And what about all drivers, who, just by starting their ignitions, cause cars to belch fumes into the sky?

We all could be on the legal hook were Lockyer's legal reasoning to hold -- which it almost certainly won't. But the point of this stunt isn't to win a lawsuit; it's to win an election.

Lockyer, who is termed out as attorney general this year, is running for state treasurer in a race that's attracted zero public interest.

So what better way to generate some publicity? This suit helps Lockyer to look like some kind of green hero and get a share of all the good press that the governor and Legislature have enjoyed on this issue.

We could write this ploy off as just silly election-year politics, except that it comes at a real cost. It's taxpayers who have to pick up the bill for this pointless legal battle -- twice actually, considering that the carmakers' expenses will ultimately get passed down to consumers.

And that seems like a high price to pay just so Lockyer can stick around Sacramento a little longer.