The US has moved to ban US airlines’ participation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme in bipartisan legislation proposed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Republican chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, John Mica (R-Fla.), and the panel’s Democrat leader, Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), both fully endorsed the proposed bill.
If passed, US airlines would be placed into a difficult situation. Once the ETS comes into force next year, airlines flying into European airspace would be required to participate in ETS but they would be banned from doing so by their own lawmakers.
The US Air Transport Association and IATA have both welcomed the proposed bill. The latter stated that it "recognizes that the International Civil Aviation Organization is the proper forum to address international aviation carbon emissions. Aviation is a global business that requires global solutions, including on climate change. IATA supports economic measures, including market based measures, to reduce CO2 emissions as part of the aviation industry’s strategy to address climate change.