The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday took a major step toward restricting greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes.
The agency determined that the emissions from commercial aircraft engines cause pollution that is endangering public health and the environment. The “endangerment” finding is a major step toward the EPA developing greenhouse gas emissions standards for airplanes. According to the EPA, some aircraft engines release carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. All of those gases are greenhouse gases, which many scientists blame for causing climate change and the subsequent warming of the globe.
“Addressing pollution from aircraft is an important element of U.S. efforts to address climate change. Aircraft are the third largest contributor to [greenhouse gas] emissions in the U.S. transportation sector, and these emissions are expected to increase in the future,” said Janet McCabe, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation.
“EPA has already set effective [greenhouse gas] standards for cars and trucks and any future aircraft engine standards will also provide important climate and public health benefits.”
No standards are being issued for airplane emissions at this point. The finding is merely a starting point for the agency to come up with emissions standards. An EPA spokesman said Monday that the agency would publish a proposed timeline for finalizing the emissions standards in the fall.
Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization is planning to adopt international aircraft carbon dioxide standards in March.
Aircraft account for about 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. transportation sector, according to the EPA. American aircraft account for about 29 percent of all aircraft emissions around the globe.
The EPA will work with the Federal Aviation Administration on the standards. According to law, the new standards cannot cause more noise or hurt aircraft safety.
The finding does not apply to small, piston-engine planes, which are typically used for more recreational purposes. The finding also does not apply to military aircraft.
Environmentalists reacted to the endangerment finding with praise, though some were dismayed at the elongated timeline for coming up with the new standards.
David Doniger, director of the climate and clean air program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the new standards must be a part of a wide-ranging strategy to fight climate change.
“Fighting dangerous climate change requires an all-encompassing approach that curbs every important source of carbon pollution, and that means from cars and trucks, power plants and airplanes, as well as other climate pollutants like methane and HFCs,” he said. “With every month this year breaking global heat records, it’s clear we must act on climate in every way possible, and now.”
However, Vera Pardee, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the agency is delaying too much.
Green group Friends of the Earth and the center petitioned the EPA in 2007 to do something about greenhouse gas emissions from airlines but it took until 2014 for the agency to start evaluating what effect those emissions have, the groups said in a statement.
It’s been clear for a long time that the EPA needs to do something about airliner emissions, but they still haven’t taken action, Pardee said.
“EPA officials finally acknowledged airplane pollution’s obvious climate threat, but they’re still not actually cutting the airline industry’s skyrocketing emissions,” Pardee said. “After nearly a decade of denial and delay, we need fast, effective EPA action. The Obama administration must quickly devise ambitious aircraft pollution rules that dramatically reduce this high-flying hazard to our climate.”
