U.S. should accept EU invitation to reduce airplane pollution

Contact:
Pamela Campos, 720-205-2366, pcampos@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today encouraged U.S. officials to join their European Union counterparts and work together to reduce pollution from airplanes.

Representatives of the U.S. and the EU met, today, for the latest in a series of ongoing negotiations over airplane pollution and other aircraft-related issues.

The first-ever law to cap global warming emissions from airplanes goes into effect in the EU on January 1, 2012. U.S. officials have asked the EU to delay or amend its law, but today EU representatives encouraged the U.S. to work with them constructively to help establish a global system for reducing airplane emissions.

EDF attorney Pamela Campos, who was at today’s talks, said this:

“The United States is making progress in reducing emissions from cars, buses, 18-wheelers – even garbage trucks. It’s time to show the same leadership in the aviation sector. Europe’s action has created an opportunity to create a broad-based system to reduce aviation emissions. The U.S. should seize this opportunity to bring its success with ground-based vehicles to the aviation sector.”

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund.