Detroit Battles Big Oil in CO2 Smackdown

"The biggest question going forward no longer is whether fossil-fuel emissions should be curbed," writes Jeffrey Ball in the Wall Street Journal [subscription required]. "It's who will foot the bill for the cleanup..." And as companies and industries jockey for position in the coming tussles over emissions caps, it looks like Detroit and Big Oil will wind up at each others' throats.

"In the center of the regulatory cross hairs are utilities ... the world's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide," Ball notes — then adds:

Auto makers and oil producers also are worried about a potential cap, and they're lashing out at each other. The Big Three auto companies are making speeches and running advertisements calling on Big Oil to crank out more low-carbon alternative fuels such as corn-based ethanol. Big Oil, in its own speeches and ads, says the auto makers should build more-efficient cars.

Of course, all the players hope to tweak the new rules to their own advantage ... but this sudden Schadenfreude gives the erstwhile love affair a new twist.