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The original “European Union Emissions Trading
Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011,” authored by
Mica, Petri, and other House leaders,
overwhelmingly passed the House on October 24,
2011. "It never made a bit of sense
for European governments to tax our citizens for
flying over our own airspace and with the
passage of this law we've got the tools we need
to prevent it from happening and protect
American jobs," said Democratic Senator Claire
McCaskill, a co-author of the bill.
Mica said that the law signed by the President
is a clear signal that the United States will
not accept the EU’s go-it-alone attempt to
impose emissions taxes on other nations for
activities far outside the EU’s own borders.
“This European emissions trading scheme is an
unlawful infringement upon U.S. sovereignty, and
the sovereignty of numerous other nations.”
“Furthermore, this global emissions tax, on
flights that may occur almost entirely outside
of the EU’s airspace, lacks true transparency or
requirements that taxes collected be spent on
emissions reduction,” Mica continued. “In
reality, this plan smacks of an attempt to help
replenish depleted EU coffers. Although European
leaders have temporarily pulled back their tax
proposal, the law signed by the President will
help ensure the EU scheme will not resurface
next year. “In order to address the continued
reduction of aviation emissions worldwide, the
EU, the United States, and other nations should
work appropriately within the scope of the
International Civil Aviation Organization rather
than taking a unilateral and unfair approach,”
Mica added.
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