Federal assistance to help airlines cope with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic should come with a guarantee the carbon-intensive sector will cut its emissions, Democrats and environmental advocates say.
Several Democrats are pushing efforts to link financial aid to the air travel industry with requirements that it reduce its greenhouse gas emissions amid fast-moving negotiations over a $1 trillion stimulus package to address the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Senate Republicans unveiled a draft bill Friday that includes $50 billion in “loans and loan guarantees” to airlines.
Senate Democrats haven’t publicly proposed specific language on aircraft emissions yet, but several proposals are floating around, including binding emissions caps on the sector, regulations on aircraft emissions, and investments in research and development for sustainable jet fuel, more fuel-efficient aircraft, and electrifying planes.
“I’m pushing to establish binding emissions reduction targets and help fund R&D for new technologies in the civil aviation sector,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, told the Washington Examiner in a statement. Whitehouse led a letter Wednesday with seven Democratic colleagues saying not including emissions requirements would be a “missed opportunity,” especially as air travel emissions are expected to triple by midcentury.
The aircraft sector accounts for 12% of U.S. transportation emissions and 2.4% of global emissions, according to a fact sheet from the Environment and Energy Study Institute.
In a letter to top lawmakers Friday, more than 200 environmental groups urged Congress to include two climate-related provisions for airlines: forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to establish long overdue greenhouse gas rules for airplanes and setting an overall cap on emissions from U.S. airlines. Under the cap the groups suggest, airline emissions would drop 20% every decade, starting from 2020 levels.
“We’re not saying, ‘Get to 0,’ but we need to see real progress,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which signed onto the letter. He said the groups acknowledge that the airline industry is difficult to decarbonize but said the industry needs a push to slash emissions.
Other environmental advocates, though, say there’s a middle ground.
Airlines have already committed to cut their emissions 50% by 2050, as part of a global deal to reduce the carbon footprint of aircraft worldwide, said Annie Petsonk, international counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund who works closely on aviation policy.
“So, if the American taxpayers are going to, at a time of pain for the taxpayer, put out a very big sum of money for the industry, it’s reasonable for the taxpayer to expect in return that the airlines will adhere to their promises,” she said.
Requiring airlines to meet their 50% by 2050 promise is also a simple solution, Petsonk added, a benefit during fast-moving stimulus talks.
Nonetheless, there are also proposals floating around to earmark some of the money as airlines ultimately pay back their loans for a research and development fund. Those dollars could go toward low-carbon aircraft technologies, including sustainable jet fuel and fuel efficiency improvements for airlines.
“That’s an area where there’s a lot of research and development going on, and even a relatively modest part of the funding going into it could make a big difference,” said Dan Lashof, who directs the World Resources Institute’s U.S. work.
The fear for some advocates, though, is that cleaner aircraft technologies wouldn’t make a dent in emissions if there’s no emissions requirements that prompt the industry to retire dirtier aircraft.
As the conversations move quickly on the Hill, few are certain what might end up in a final package. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and top Senate Republicans are actively negotiating with Democrats with the hope of teeing up a package to vote on Monday.
The airline industry hasn’t said anything publicly yet about the possibility of emissions requirements paired with federal aid.
“U.S. airlines are doing everything in their power to protect and preserve the jobs of our 750,000 hard-working employees,” said Katherine Estep, communications director of Airlines for America, which represents leading U.S. commercial and cargo airlines. She didn’t directly answer questions about the group’s position on potential emissions requirements.
