Says A Ban Of Airliners Would Be A 'Last Resort'

The latest salvo in the sabre-rattling over the EU-ETS comes from the European Commission, which said Thursday that airlines who do not account for their emissions under the newly-imposed cap-and-trade scheme could be banned from landing at European airports.

Many non-European nations, including the U.S. and China, have expressed strong opposition to the unilateral imposition of what amounts to a carbon tax on their airlines. The initiative went into effect January 1st.

According to a report in the New York Times, Isaac Valero-Ladron, the commission’s spokesman for climate action, said on Thursday at a news conference in Brussels that a ban would be a "last resort" based on "continued noncompliance." He said he was confident that airlines would fall into line, as the penalties for not paying the tax are higher than the tax its self.

In the U.S., the House has passed a bill prohibiting U.S. flagged airliners from paying the carbon tax, and a similar bill is pending in the U.S. Senate. However, some U.S. airlines have already announced a surcharge on international fares to cover the cost of the carbon credits.

No carbon permits must be produced for the EU until the end of April, 2013, which still leaves a lot of time for negotiation and compromise.

FMI: http://europa.eu