NBAA Welcomes Passage of Senate Bill Prohibiting Compliance With EU-ETS

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) applauded final passage of Senate legislation prohibiting operators of U.S. aircraft from participating in a European scheme to regulate aviation emissions.

The Senate approved the bill, S.1956, the "European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act," which directs the transportation secretary to prevent all U.S. aircraft operators from taking part in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS). Similar legislation was passed by the U.S. House earlier this year, and the two bills must now be reconciled into a single measure for a final vote from both chambers.

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen specifically pointed to the leadership of Senators John Thune (R-SD), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and others for supporting the bill.

"NBAA thanks Senators Thune, McCaskill and others on both sides of the aisle who supported this legislation," Bolen said.

Bolen has repeatedly pointed out the industry’s concerns about the scheme, and has supported both the House and Senate versions of the legislation opposing the plan. In June, Bolen testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, calling the scheme "fatally flawed," adding that, "as badly as the airlines are treated, general aviation is treated even worse" under the EU-ETS. 

Review Bolen’s testimony in its entirety. 

In other testimony, NBAA Members have pointed out to congress that the proposal is unfair, intrusive, administratively burdensome and fails any reasonable cost-benefit test for the environment.

"We appreciate the forceful message this bill sends to the EU against the imposition of a new carbon tax on aircraft," Bolen said.

Bolen reiterated NBAA's position that international standards governing civil aviation should be enacted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

"The general aviation community continues to support the framework for addressing greenhouse gas emissions developed by the ICAO," Bolen said.

"The business aviation community has a continuous record of improvement on emissions reduction," Bolen said. "We will continue our decades-long effort to promote policies that minimize the industry’s carbon footprint."

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