US states call for new rules to curb aviation emissions

California and New York lead calls for airlines to be included in a cap-and-trade system

Airlines should be charged hefty penalties for emitting too much carbon dioxide during flights, a petition handed to the White House next week will urge.

The paper – signed by the US states of California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico and Pennsylvania – calls on the government to implement a cap-and-trade system for the industry.

The petition, due to be submitted on Wednesday, argues that aircraft emissions account for 12 per cent of the national transport industry's total carbon output and should be regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

It cites research from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which forecast that pollution from domestic flights would rise by 60 per cent before 2025.

"We want the EPA to take their head out of the sand and actively promulgate rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," California Attorney General Jerry Brown told Associated Press. "The EPA has taken a very passive and unimaginative approach to combating global warming."

Under the proposal, airlines would be forced to buy carbon credits for the emissions that exceeded a specified cap. The EU is currently planning a similar scheme for Europe where its existing emissions trading scheme would be extended from 2011 to include aviation.

The EPA hit back at the petition, claiming the airline industry had already significantly cleaned up its act, having improved fuel efficiency by 60 per cent over the past 30 years.

"The US has invested over $37bn on climate change science, technology and tax incentive programmes – more than any other country in the world," it said.

The Air Transport Association (ATA) – the trade body for airlines – supported the EPA's stance, insisting carriers were already doing everything they could to curb pollution. "Commercial airlines already are driven to be as fuel efficient and environmentally conscious as possible," it said.