ATA: Airlines Committed To Fuel Efficiency And CO(2) Reduction
Improvements
Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Kerry (D-MA) unveiled
the Senate version of an energy bill Wednesday that includes
cap-and-trade language for carbon emissions and specific CO(2)
reduction targets.
“The American Power Act is fundamentally different from
previous energy and climate bills – and not just because it
will be the one that actually passes,” said Senator Lieberman
in a news release. “Our bill will create jobs and
transform the American economy; make our country more energy
independent, which in turn will strengthen our national security;
and improve the quality of the air we breathe. We are proud
to have support from a growing and unprecedented coalition of
business, national security, faith, and environmental communities,
who are energized to work hard to pass this bill this year. America
has a lot to gain from getting started now.”
The New York Times reports that the bill would, for the first
time, set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions, beginning
with a 17 percent reduction over 2005 levels by 2020.
Transportation emissions would be included in a national carbon
cap, and administered through a separate trading program. By 2030,
industries would have to pay for carbon credits without government
assistance. The bill reportedly currently has no Republican
support.
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), a trade
organization for U.S. airlines, today issued the following
statement in response to the release of the climate change
legislation sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman:
"ATA is in the process of conducting a thorough review of the
bill. It is important to recognize that the U.S. airline industry
has adopted a set of targets and measures as part of the worldwide
aviation industry commitment to a global sectoral approach on
aviation emissions. Through this, the U.S. airlines alone will save
more than 16 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions
through 2050 on top of substantial savings already achieved," said
ATA President and CEO James C. May. "We trust that if Congress
pursues this legislation, it will adopt this approach versus
imposing punitive industry and passenger taxes."
ATA says that annually, commercial aviation helps drive more
than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 11 million
U.S. jobs. On a daily basis, U.S. airlines operate approximately
25,000 flights in 80 countries, using more than 6,000 aircraft to
carry an average of two million passengers and 30,000 tons of
cargo. ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than
90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic.