EPA proposes first greenhouse gas emissions standards for aircraft, critics say its already obsolete

In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed emissions standards for airplanes used in commercial aviation and large business jets. This action will align U.S. standards with the international carbon dioxide emissions standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but critics say aircraft have met those standards since 2016 making the EPA rule obsolete.

According to EPA:

“The ICAO standards were developed with significant input from EPA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and U.S. and international aviation industries. Typically, three out of four aircraft manufactured in the U.S. are sold overseas. These standards will help ensure consistent standards across the world, and most importantly allow U.S. manufactured planes, such as commercial and large passenger jets, to continue to compete in the global marketplace.

The implementation process provides significant lead-time to designers and manufacturers of aircraft covered by the standards. The proposed GHG standards would apply to new type design airplanes on or after January 1, 2020 and to in-production airplanes on or after January 1, 2028. They would not apply to already manufactured airplanes that are currently in-use.”

However, critics say the proposed CO2 standard for aircraft is already obsolete because it is just adopting the 2016 ICA carbon dioxide aviation standard making it effective for U.S. aircraft in 2028, but “all new aircraft delivered in 2016—the year ICAO announced the standard—already met the 2028 standards. By 2019, airplane deliveries were 6% more fuel efficient than the standards, which were not even required until 2028!” according to Margo Oge who served with the EPA for 32 years and was most recently the Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality.