Will Meet For First Time Next Month In Savannah, GA
National Air Transportation
Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne announced Wednesday the
creation of the association's new Environmental Committee, tasked
with the responsibility for reviewing issues and developing the
association’s position on a wide array of environmental
concerns confronting NATA members.
The Environmental Committee -- approved by the NATA Board of
Directors during its last meeting in early November in Washington,
DC -- will be a regular standing committee within the NATA
committee structure, and will meet in conjunction with the
association’s Air Charter, Aircraft Maintenance and Systems
Technology, Airports, Business Management, Flight Training, and
Safety and Security Committees.
While the tasks for this new committee will be developed during
initial meetings in 2008, a number of issues are already being
considered, including aircraft emissions and carbon offset
programs; spill prevention and containment; changes to the The
Clean Water Act as they affect aviation businesses; and concerns on
the over usage and environmental impact of de-icing fluid.
The Environmental Committee will conduct its first meeting on
January 28, 2008, in Savannah, GA. The association has already
received widespread support for this new panel with more than 15
member companies from across the industry joining. Members include
organizations involved in fractional ownership, air charter,
maintenance, flight training, and manufacturing as well as fixed
base operators and fuel companies.
Leading the new panel as its chairman will be DayJet Vice
President of Strategic Operations Traver Gruen-Kennedy.
"As an industry, we are now seeing an enormous amount of
activity on environmental matters," Kennedy said. "Whether it is
carbon offset programs to reduce aircraft emissions or the concerns
about de-icing fluids’ impact on the environment, we are just
being inundated with potential conflicts. The creation of this new
committee is critical to ensuring that NATA and its members stay
ahead of the curve, supporting environmental preservation while
continuing to be a strong financial force within our nation’s
economy."
"There is no doubt that the environmental movement we are seeing
today could be the greatest challenge confronting our industry in
quite some time," added Coyne. "By establishing this new committee,
we hope to take a proactive step so that we, as an industry, are
prepared to meet any calls for new environmental standards while
making certain that common sense and practicability are
applied."