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Regulations for Emissions from Vehicles and Engines

Regulations for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aircraft

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Overview

2020

EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Standards for Certain Classes of Aircraft.

EPA finalizes greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for airplanes used in commercial aviation and for large business jets. This action aligns U.S. standards with the international carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), keeping domestically manufactured aircraft competitive in the global marketplace.

Aircraft covered by the rule account for ten percent of all U.S. transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and three percent of total U.S. GHG emissions.

2016

EPA Responds to Petition to Reconsider Finding that Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Certain Classes of Aircraft Endanger Public Health and Welfare
The EPA responded to the petition for reconsideration of the final action, “Finding That Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Aircraft Cause or Contribute to Air Pollution That May Reasonably Be Anticipated To Endanger Public Health and Welfare.” The petition requested reconsideration of that finding with respect to the Agency’s treatment of biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from short-cycle annual herbaceous crops. In the EPA’s response, the Administrator denied the petition for reconsideration for the reasons set forth in the below documents.

EPA Finalizes Clean Air Act Finding that Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Certain Classes of Aircraft Endanger Human Health and Welfare
EPA finalized findings that GHG emissions from certain classes of engines used in aircraft contribute to the air pollution that causes climate change endangering public health and welfare under section 231(a) of the Clean Air Act. The EPA’s findings were in preparation for the domestic rulemaking process to adopt the GHG standards.

2015

EPA proposed a process for setting international carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards for aircraft and sought input on related issues.

2014

EPA submitted an information paper to the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that set a timeframe for initiating the U.S. domestic regulatory process for addressing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft under the Clean Air Act.

2011

EPA began taking steps to propose regulating GHG emissions from aircraft when multiple legal decisions required EPA to make an endangerment finding under the Clean Air Act to reduce the emission of air pollutants from aircraft that contribute to global climate change.

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List of Related Regulations

Below is a list of all regulations related to GHG emissions from aircraft.

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Regulation Title Regulation Date
(Year/Month)
Final Rulemaking: Control of Air Pollution from Airplanes and Airplane Engines: GHG Emission Standards and Test Procedures 2020/12
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:  Control of Air Pollution from Airplanes and Airplane Engines: GHG Emission Standards and Test Procedures 2020/07

Final Rule for Finding That Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Aircraft Cause or Contribute to Air Pollution That May Reasonably Be Anticipated To Endanger Public Health and Welfare

2016/08
Proposed Rule Finding that Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Aircraft Cause or Contribute to Air Pollution That May Reasonably Be Anticipated To Endanger Public Health and Welfare and Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to provide an overview of and seek input on a variety of issues related to setting an international CO2 standard for aircraft (PDF) (50 pp, 884 K, published July 1, 2015, About PDF) 2015/06

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