Senate Bill to Exempt America from EU Emissions Trading

A new bill proposed by a Republican senator aims to draw up an effective exit strategy from the disputed EU aviation emission trading system. The bill could stop the EU legal framework from compelling the US airline companies to buy carbon allowances to offset their harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill, once implemented, would allow the owners of airline companies to breathe at ease, since they would save $3.1bn (€2.3bn) in only 8 years, from 2012 to 2020. Moreover, this measure would help preserve almost 40,000 jobs currently threatened by the controversial EU trading scheme, BusinessGreen reports.

John Thune is the South Carolina Senator who came up with this plan, firmly declaring that the European Union has no right “to tax the American air passengers.” He has declared himself against this abusive, illegal method of minimizing the carbon footprint of major airlines and said he would do everything in its power to reject it.

Even under these circumstances, his bill has a slight chance of passing through the Democrat-controlled Senate. Moreover, his intention has been widely criticized by activists and environmentally-friendly groups joining forces to reveal the disputed trading scheme is an important asset in fighting climate change and curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

In their opinion, the EU legal framework would significantly improve air quality worldwide, once adopted on a large, international scale. They consider this measure highly beneficial, since it could stop 183 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from reaching the atmosphere by 2020. Therefore, the supporters compel politicians to reach to an agreement with the EU official expected to arrive in Washington DC.

On the other hand, trade organization Airlines for America (A4A) supports the bill proposed by Thune, stating that it would help fight the “illegal and bad policy” announced by the European Union.

"Subjecting airlines to the EU's unilateral system will be counterproductive to helping the environment, result in the loss of US jobs, and hamper airlines' ability to invest in new aircraft and continue their extensive efforts to reduce their environmental impact,” declared A4A president and chief executive Nicholas Calio.

Adopting this bill could be a risky decision, taking into consideration that it could generate a dangerous trade war with the EU and influence in a negative manner important transatlantic flights, putting the profit margins of airline companies at great risk.