Statement on Airplane Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Litigation
On November 15, 2021, EPA filed a motion to govern in the litigation on a rule that put in place commercial aircraft greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards, which EPA promulgated in early 2021. That rule implemented the historic international agreement the Obama Administration negotiated in 2016 through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to set the first-ever GHG emission standards for airplanes.
At the same time, in order to effectively address the climate crisis, the Biden Administration recognizes more action is necessary across the transportation sector and in the aviation sector specifically to significantly reduce GHG emissions. That is why the U.S. will press for ambitious new international CO2 standards at the upcoming round of ICAO negotiations, why in September the Biden Administration announced a series of actions aimed at boosting the development of sustainable aviation fuel, and why earlier this month the Biden Administration released the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan at COP26.
EPA also recognizes that we have Clean Air Act authority independent of the standards to be negotiated at ICAO to set emissions standards for commercial aircraft, and we will be evaluating what opportunities for greater regulatory ambition exist through the commonsense exercise of our Clean Air Act authority.
For more information on:
- GHG emissions standards for airplanes: https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-greenhouse-gas-emissions-aircraft
- The U.S. Government Aviation Climate Action Plan: https://www.faa.gov/sustainability/aviation-climate-action-plan
- The White House Announcement on Sustainable Aviation: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/09/fact-sheet-biden-administration-advances-the-future-of-sustainable-fuels-in-american-aviation