Obama Signs Bill Excluding U.S. Airlines From E.U. Carbon Fee

Obama Vetoes European Carbon Tax

President Obama has signed into law a bill that requires U.S. airlines be excluded from European carbon emissions fees.  The bill shields U.S. airlines from paying a carbon tax merely for flying to Europe.

Earlier this month, the EU put the emission fees on hold for a year to buy time for a global agreement on aviation emissions. The rules were not frozen for airlines in the EU, however.

According to a White House spokesperson, “The Obama Administration is firmly committed to reducing harmful carbon pollution from civil aviation both domestically and internationally.  The application of the EU tax to non-EU air carriers is the wrong way to achieve that objective.” (The Hill, 11/27/2012)