Synopsis: EPA's recent finding paves the way for the Agency
to develop standards regulating greenhouse gas emissions from
aircraft. Businesses in the commercial jet manufacturing and
aviation transportation industry should watch this rulemaking
closely, as it will affect environmental compliance costs and may
have an impact on the cost of capital purchases and daily
operations.
On July 25, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
issued a final determination under the Clean Air Act,
finding that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from certain types of
aircraft engines contribute to air pollution that causes climate
change and endangers public health and the environment.
The EPA determination applies specifically to the six well-mixed
GHGs in the atmosphere: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous
oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and
sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Two of these six gases, CO2 and nitrous
oxide, are emitted by aircraft
