Air Pressure

States petition U.S. EPA to regulate airline emissions

Posted at 12:48 PM on 05 Dec 2007

The U.S. EPA should regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from aircraft going in and out of U.S. airports, say five states that filed a petition today. "The EPA has abdicated its responsibility in this area for years, and it won't do its job until it's legally required to do so," says California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who joined with Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, D.C., and New York City to marvel at the incompetence of the country's environmental agency. A gaggle of green groups filed a separate, similar petition. Air travel is responsible for about 3 percent of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, and domestic aircraft emissions are expected to rise 60 percent by 2025. But a spokesperson for the U.S. Air Transport Association pooh-poohed the petition, saying that "commercial airlines already are driven to be as fuel efficient and environmentally conscious as possible.''

sources:  Associated Press, Bloomberg, USA Today
see also, in Grist:  E.U. Parliament approves plan to require airline emissions reductions