NBAA Applauds House Committee for Bill Prohibiting EU-ETS in U.S.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) applauded the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for approving legislation prohibiting U.S. participation in the European effort to limit and tax carbon emissions from civil aircraft.

The committee voted unanimously Friday to send H.R. 2594, the "European Union Emissions Trading Scheme [EU-ETS] Prohibition Act of 2011" to the floor of the House for a vote. The bipartisan proposal directs the transportation secretary to prevent all U.S. aircraft operators from taking part in the EU trading scheme. It also directs government officials to take all possible action to make sure American flight operators are not penalized under the ETS program, which takes effect in the European Union January 1, 2012.

"We appreciate the strong, united message this proposed legislation sends to the EU against the imposition of a new carbon tax on companies based outside its borders," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

Bolen reiterated NBAA's position that international standards governing civil aviation should be enacted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). "Emissions policies, like all other matters pertaining to civil aviation, should be decided by the body that was created for that very purpose," he said.

"General aviation aircraft are cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient than ever before," Bolen noted. "The industry continues its decades-long effort to minimize its carbon footprint and NBAA welcomes both technological and operational advances that reduce emissions through the achievement of greater efficiencies."

For more information on EU-ETS, visit NBAA's EU-ETS resources.