Congressional Roundtable Convened On The Issue Includes Industry Representatives

At a congressional roundtable discussion held Wednesday in Washington, D.C. to discuss the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), ALPA First VP Captain Sean Cassidy expressed the organizations position against tax imposed on U.S. carriers flying in European airspace.

"ALPA opposes the EU Emissions Trading Scheme because it effectively serves as a further tax on commercial aviation, projected to cost $3.1 billion between 2012 and 2020," Capt. Cassidy said in his opening statement. "This new tax burden, if unaddressed, will invariably lead to job loss in an industry which still has not recovered from terrorist attacks, bankruptcies, high oil prices, and other economic difficulties.
 
“Today, on average fuel represents about 35% of our airlines operating costs and is the largest expense for our industry. Because of this, our companies are under tremendous market pressure to reduce fuel consumption and emissions so they may continue to compete in the world market. Being greener leads to a better bottom line, so they do not need any artificial incentives to urge them to make the best possible use of every gallon of jet fuel they purchase."

Cassidy called on the representatives to work through the ICAO to come up with a "meaningful" emissions program. "We should not sit on the sidelines any longer, as other countries opt out of the EU ETS, and our airlines and their employees are forced to compete on an unlevel playing field that places our airline industries at a disadvantage, and threatens our pilots’ careers," he said.

At the same time, the blog Pilot Partisan reports that ALPA Capt. Lee Moak met with representatives of the Obama Administration at the White House. He hoped to convince the administration to file an Article 84 complaint against the EU challenging the legality of the scheme.

FMI: www.alpa.org