Vermont’s attorneys must be smoking crack.

Automakers have sued the northeastern state (and an alliance of other NE states) to stop regulations that would mandate autos produce 24%-34% less CO2 (beginning in 2009) by 2016 to fight global warming.

Leave aside that Vermont doesn’t say how this would solve anything. It defies earthly realities. For years now, engine technology development has averaged about a 1.5% increase in fuel efficiency per annum. Due to market demands, most of that efficiency has gone into more horsepower.

But even if automakers were to ignore their customers (not generally good business policy) and put all efficiency gains into fuel mileage, that means an increase of just 10.5 percent by the traget date, well short of the mandated numbers. In order to comply, then, the industry would have to radically downsize its entire vehicle fleet to compacts in order to get the 43.7 average mpg necessary to meet the CO2 targets.

Due to kick off the state’s defense this week, Vermont assistant AG Scot Kline disagrees, saying that “manufacturers can comply with the greenhouse gas emissions limits without significant changes in their product plans.”

What do the engineers know? Let’s let the lawyers design the cars!