Fri, Jul 22, 2011
House Leaders Agree Scheme Is Illegal, Infringes On U.S.
Sovereignty
Industry trade group ATA on Wednesday praised the leadership in
the U.S. House of Representatives for proposing a bill that
declares the application of the European Union (EU) Emissions
Trading Scheme (ETS) to aviation inconsistent with international
law, and directs the Department of Transportation to prohibit U.S.
carriers from participating in the scheme while ensuring that U.S.
airlines and aircraft operators are not penalized as a result.
Under the bipartisan bill, Congress finds that the EU ETS scheme
undermines ongoing efforts at the International Civil Aviation
Organization to develop a unified, worldwide approach to reducing
aircraft greenhouse gas emissions. The bill calls on EU member
states to work with ICAO to develop such a global approach and to
withdraw the current EU scheme, scheduled to take effect in
2012.
The bill was introduced today by House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL), Ranking Member
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Tom Petri
(R-WI) and Ranking Subcommittee Member Rep. Jerry Costello
(D-Il).
"We commend Chairmen Mica and Petri and Ranking Members Rahall
and Costello for their bipartisan leadership in joining the
Administration in opposing the EU ETS scheme which is both illegal
and bad policy. Subjecting airlines to the EU unilateral system
will be counterproductive to the environment and will result in the
loss of U.S. jobs as it siphons money away from carriers, impeding
their ability to invest in new and more efficient technology," said
ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "The ATA and our member
airlines have a strong track record of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and a longstanding commitment to further improvements by
leveraging operational, technological and infrastructure
advancements."
The ATA, on behalf of its member airlines, filed a lawsuit
recently heard by the European Court of Justice, seeking to have
the scheme declared illegal under international law. The scheme
taxes U.S. carriers for emissions in the United States and over the
high seas, unlawfully regulating U.S. airlines. The ATA lawsuit
details how the unilateral EU scheme infringes on U.S. sovereignty
and provides no assurance that revenues collected by European
governments will be used to address aviation environmental
issues.
ATA says that currently, commercial aviation accounts for just 2
percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
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