William Clay Ford, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Ford Motor Co.
The American Road
Dearborn, MI 48121

RE: Please innovate, don't litigate!

Dear Mr. Ford,

I am very disappointed to hear about your company's lawsuit to stop progress on an issue of critical importance to our health, our economy and our environment -- the urgent need to cut global warming pollution. California recently passed ground-breaking legislation requiring new cars to reduce greenhouse gasses in their emissions by 30% starting in 2009. I find it outrageous that, rather than lead the world to new technologies, you are suing the state of California in court to roll back the new standards.

Global warming is happening. We're already seeing the polar ice caps melting and changes in habitat with deadly consequences for many animal and plant species. Global warming is already causing a significant increase in extreme weather, costing billions of dollars in weather-related economic impacts in the United States alone. Climate change caused by global warming threatens water and food security for billions of people worldwide, and therefore threatens the future security of all nations.

Cars and trucks make up the second largest source of global warming pollution, sending heat-trapping emissions into the air for decades to come.

For more than 40 years, California has led the nation and the world in creating sound, sensible air pollution standards -- leadership that has long been acknowledged in federal clean air laws. That's why eighty-one percent of California voters -- including 77 percent of SUV owners -- support the state's new global warming emissions standards. The 2009 phase-in for the new performance standards gives you ample time to deploy new technology. But instead of stepping up to meet the challenge, your company and others have gone to court to try to block the law.

You have the know-how and technology to fix the global warming problem. Smart engineering such as cylinder deactivation and continuously variable transmissions are available today to build cleaner cars and trucks that get us where we're going with less pollution.

As a consumer and concerned citizen, I strongly urge you to call off your lawyers, stop trying to thwart the will of the people of California, and use your resources to innovate, not litigate.

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