The Obama administration declared Wednesday that airplanes are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to expand its reach to yet another sector of the economy as the president seeks to cement his legacy on climate change.
In the historic announcement, the EPA said it will limit emissions from all commercial aircraft and could release specific standards as soon as next year. The move — which drew immediate criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who say the restrictions will drive up airfares — comes as the EPA also cracks down on carbon emissions from power plants and institutes other climate change measures that will be felt across the economy.
In addressing climate change by targeting airplanes, President Obama is imposing regulations on an industry that has clearly demonstrated it can cut emissions on its own, without government mandates.
Despite that, the administration said action is required. The EPA said it will work with the International Civil Aviation Organization, a branch of the United Nations, in the hopes of crafting an international set of standards. It’s not clear whether the U.S. system will be identical to international rules. The American rules are expected to apply only to new planes.
Whatever the final standard looks like, the EPA made clear that aircraft emissions, which account for about 11 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas pollution, must be addressed.
“The body of science on human-induced climate change has strengthened, supporting today’s proposed finding … that [greenhouse gases] emitted from aircraft engines contribute to pollution that causes climate change endangering public health and welfare,” the agency said in a statement.
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The restrictions, EPA officials said, will not apply to recreational aircraft, though they will apply to smaller planes such as the Cessna Citation CJ2+, often used for charter flights.
Wednesday’s announcement comes less than three years after the administration fought the European Union’s attempt to impose carbon pollution restrictions on all flights coming in and out of Europe. The EU ultimately abandoned the restrictions for flights to or from non-European countries. The concession was largely a result of heavy pressure from the U.S.
Moving forward, industry leaders say, they support the move to cleaner aircraft and believe the EPA must coordinate with international partners to create a uniform standard.
“We think the only way to effectively address a global issue that relates to a global industry is through an international framework. These separate national undertakings would be more costly to implement, and in the end, less effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rick Kennedy, spokesman for GE, a leading manufacturer of commercial airplane engines.
He added that GE engines have reduced fuel burn by at least 1 percent each year for the past 30 years, demonstrating that the industry already is moving toward cleaner planes.
Since 1978, the airline industry has improved fuel efficiency by 120 percent and cut CO2 emissions by more than 3.8 billion metric tons, according to Airlines For America, the industry’s leading trade group.
“The technology, operations and infrastructure initiatives that our airlines are undertaking to further address [greenhouse gas] emissions are designed to responsibly and effectively limit their carbon emissions and potential climate change impacts while allowing them to continue to serve as drivers of U.S. and global economies,” said Nancy Young, the group’s vice president of environmental affairs.
Critics say Mr. Obama, deeply concerned with securing his place in history as the first U.S. president to truly address climate change, is meddling unnecessarily in an industry that has demonstrated its ability to get cleaner without government interference.
“Such regulations would increase the price of airfare for Americans and harm our domestic carriers. Over the last fifty years, the fuel efficiency of jetliners has increased by 70 percent,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. “Incentives are already in place to make air travel more energy efficient. This proposal is the next leg of a nonstop journey by the EPA to control how Americans live, work and travel.”
On the other side of the spectrum, environmentalists say the administration should skip international negotiations and impose stringent standards now.
“Airplane carbon pollution is skyrocketing, but the EPA is still dodging responsibility for curbing this climate threat,” said Vera Pardee, senior counsel and supervising attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Passing the buck to an international organization that’s virtually run by the airline industry won’t protect our planet from aircrafts’ rapidly growing emissions.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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