Aviation Omitted from House Cap-and-Trade Bill

By: Mark Huber

AINalerts >> June 2009
Government, Environment

A last-minute revision to legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday removed a requirement to set new greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for aircraft, potentially saving the U.S. commercial and business aviation industry billions of dollars between now and 2050. H.R.2454 would have called for business aviation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to be cut by one third as early as 2012 and by 90 percent by 2050.

However, a report issued earlier this month by the Government Accountability Office reported that aviation accounts for only 2 percent of total human-generated CO2 and, even with the aggressive application of new and more efficient technologies, it is “unlikely” that aviation “would greatly reduce emissions by 2050. However, the bill could still have an impact on oil refiners and increase the cost and affect the availability of aviation fuels.

ConocoPhillips last month warned that, under the bill, “U.S. refiners will be bearing the cost for roughly one third of the nation’s GHG emissions but receiving only 2 percent of the total allowances under the current proposal. The Senate hasn’t yet released a draft of its companion bill.

Back

Senate Finally Moves FAA Reauthorization to Floor Thursday 11. of March 2010 Debate on S.1451, a bill that would reauthorize FAA spending and programs for two years, began this morning on the Senate floor. In addition to... [more]
ADS-B Final Rule Hits Stumbling Blocks Tuesday 09. of March 2010 The FAA’s long-promised April 10 release of its ADS-B final rule appears to have hit two bureaucratic stumbling blocks. For the agency to... [more]
D.C. Federal District Court Removes the BARR Tuesday 02. of March 2010 A federal judge for the District of Columbia has ruled that aircraft tail numbers submitted for blockage under NBAA’s Block Aircraft... [more]
Southers rejects offer to lead TSA Monday 01. of March 2010 Erroll Southers, the White House choice to head the leaderless Transportation Security Administration (TSA), withdrew his name from... [more]
Border Agency Chooses AW Helos Monday 01. of March 2010 The Finnish Border Guard has ordered an AgustaWestland AW119Ke for border patrol, special operations and firefighting missions. It will join the... [more]