Congressman responds to EPA's commercial airline pollution findings

After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took initial steps to rein in carbon emissions from commercial airplanes, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) condemned the potential effects of additional EPA regulations on the economy on Wednesday.

“The sky is the limit when it comes to how much of the U.S. economy the EPA wants to control,” Smith, who chairs the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said. “The EPA today released a finding that emissions from commercial airplanes are harmful to human health, which opens the door for new regulations. Such regulations would increase the price of airfare for Americans and harm our domestic carriers.”

The EPA’s findings concluded that commercial airplanes are responsible for approximately 11 percent of the American transportation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, and its proposition to find the airline industry responsible for pollution is the first step to regulating it under the Clean Air Act.

“Over the last 50 years, the fuel efficiency of jetliners has increased by 70 percent,” Smith said. “Incentives are already in place to make air travel more energy efficient. This proposal is the next leg of a nonstop journey by the EPA to control how Americans live, work and travel.”