Senate committee clears way for US airlines to be ordered to ignore Europe’s carbon emissions trading scheme
Congress threatened to bring chaos to European Union airports on Tuesday, moving towards a vote on a measure that would ban US carriers from paying for their carbon emissions.
The Senate’s commerce, science and transportation committee cleared the way for a floor vote on a bill that would make it illegal for US carriers to comply with new EU legislation requiring airlines that use European airports to pay for carbon emissions. The measure has already been approved by the House of Representatives.
In Washington’s deeply divided political climate, opposition to the EU’s aviation scheme remains one of the only areas where Republicans and Democrats agree.
Both parties supported the moves in Congress, and the Obama administration has also been putting pressure on Europe to back down and leave it to the International Civil Aviation Organisation to take measures to reduce carbon emissions.
