Will Meet For First Time Next Month In Savannah, GA

National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne announced Wednesday the creation of the association's new Environmental Committee, tasked with the responsibility for reviewing issues and developing the association’s position on a wide array of environmental concerns confronting NATA members.

The Environmental Committee -- approved by the NATA Board of Directors during its last meeting in early November in Washington, DC -- will be a regular standing committee within the NATA committee structure, and will meet in conjunction with the association’s Air Charter, Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology, Airports, Business Management, Flight Training, and Safety and Security Committees. 

While the tasks for this new committee will be developed during initial meetings in 2008, a number of issues are already being considered, including aircraft emissions and carbon offset programs; spill prevention and containment; changes to the The Clean Water Act as they affect aviation businesses; and concerns on the over usage and environmental impact of de-icing fluid.

The Environmental Committee will conduct its first meeting on January 28, 2008, in Savannah, GA. The association has already received widespread support for this new panel with more than 15 member companies from across the industry joining. Members include organizations involved in fractional ownership, air charter, maintenance, flight training, and manufacturing as well as fixed base operators and fuel companies.

Leading the new panel as its chairman will be DayJet Vice President of Strategic Operations Traver Gruen-Kennedy.

"As an industry, we are now seeing an enormous amount of activity on environmental matters," Kennedy said. "Whether it is carbon offset programs to reduce aircraft emissions or the concerns about de-icing fluids’ impact on the environment, we are just being inundated with potential conflicts. The creation of this new committee is critical to ensuring that NATA and its members stay ahead of the curve, supporting environmental preservation while continuing to be a strong financial force within our nation’s economy."

"There is no doubt that the environmental movement we are seeing today could be the greatest challenge confronting our industry in quite some time," added Coyne. "By establishing this new committee, we hope to take a proactive step so that we, as an industry, are prepared to meet any calls for new environmental standards while making certain that common sense and practicability are applied."

FMI: Read NATA's Background Paper On The New Committee