President Obama has signed into law a bill that requires U.S. airlines be excluded from European carbon emissions fees.

Environmentalists had framed the bill as the first test of the president's commitment to fighting climate change in his second term and urged him to veto it. Obama quietly signed it Tuesday over their objections.

"The Obama administration is firmly committed to reducing harmful carbon pollution from civil aviation both domestically and internationally, but, as we have said on many occasions, the application of the EU [Emissions Trading System] to non-EU air carriers is the wrong way to achieve that objective," a White House spokesman said in a statement to The Hill. ....

Obama quietly signs bill shielding airlines from carbon fees in Europe

Originally posted by xuenchen
Obama quietly signs bill shielding airlines from carbon fees in Europe

President Obama signed a law that will stop the European Union from taxing carbon emissions from U.S. owned airlines.

This is good news I suppose, but what will environmentalists think now ?

They were attempting to sway Obama into vetoing the law.

President Obama has signed into law a bill that requires U.S. airlines be excluded from European carbon emissions fees.

Environmentalists had framed the bill as the first test of the president's commitment to fighting climate change in his second term and urged him to veto it. Obama quietly signed it Tuesday over their objections.

"The Obama administration is firmly committed to reducing harmful carbon pollution from civil aviation both domestically and internationally, but, as we have said on many occasions, the application of the EU [Emissions Trading System] to non-EU air carriers is the wrong way to achieve that objective," a White House spokesman said in a statement to The Hill. ....

Obama quietly signs bill shielding airlines from carbon fees in Europe

Perhaps he is "saving" his own version for American companies ??


Link to the Legislation

Originally posted by xuenchen
Obama quietly signs bill shielding airlines from carbon fees in Europe

President Obama signed a law that will stop the European Union from taxing carbon emissions from U.S. owned airlines.

The legislation calls for the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit civil aircraft operators from participating in the EU emissions scheme if, after a public hearing, he or she deems it in the public interest to do so. The amendments permit the Secretary to reassess a prohibition in the event of an EU amendment to its scheme, an international agreement is adopted or the “enactment of a public law or issuance of a final rule after formal agency rulemaking, in the United States to address aircraft emissions”.

Under the bill, operators are to be held “harmless” from any adverse impact resulting from non-compliance with the EU ETS, such as over the non-payment of taxes and penalties. However, an amendment to the original bill stipulates that funds made available under the Airport and Airway Trust Fund or to the Department of Transportation or other Federal agency (such as the FAA) may not be used to settle any tax or penalty.

The bill also calls on the Secretary of Transportation, the FAA Administrator and appropriate US government officials to conduct international negotiations to pursue a worldwide approach to address aircraft emissions.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by Yazman

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The same can be said of the EU law however. They don't have the right to tell businesses from other countries that they have to pay for operating, especially when this includes operations in their home country.

As for the legality of it, they're not saying that the airlines aren't participating in it, they're saying that if it's determined that it's in the public interest to do so, the airlines will be prohibited from participating. They have also included a rider in it that states, that if the EU changes the policy, or the US reaches an agreement with ICAO or their own version, then the airlines will be required to participate. It also requires the US to participate in global negotiations to limit aircraft emissions.

The legislation calls for the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit civil aircraft operators from participating in the EU emissions scheme if, after a public hearing, he or she deems it in the public interest to do so. The amendments permit the Secretary to reassess a prohibition in the event of an EU amendment to its scheme, an international agreement is adopted or the “enactment of a public law or issuance of a final rule after formal agency rulemaking, in the United States to address aircraft emissions”.

Under the bill, operators are to be held “harmless” from any adverse impact resulting from non-compliance with the EU ETS, such as over the non-payment of taxes and penalties. However, an amendment to the original bill stipulates that funds made available under the Airport and Airway Trust Fund or to the Department of Transportation or other Federal agency (such as the FAA) may not be used to settle any tax or penalty.

The bill also calls on the Secretary of Transportation, the FAA Administrator and appropriate US government officials to conduct international negotiations to pursue a worldwide approach to address aircraft emissions.

www.greenaironline.com...

There is a link to the full Senate bill at the bottom of the page.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by Yazman

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And the EU has no right to dictate to other countries businesses how they operate. If the US tried this, then people would be screaming about how evil they are, and how illegal this is.

EU-ETS is aimed at lowering carbon-dioxide emissions. Aircraft operators are assessed a per-ton cost for their CO2 emissions based on miles flown to and from Europe. Rather than calculating those miles from the point of entry into EU airspace, EU-ETS calculates them from the point of departure to the point of arrival, raising the ire of operators and governments, which say the European Union has no right to charge fees for flight segments that take place outside of Europe.