Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2002-0030-0052
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-10-03T04:00Z

VI.
Possible
Future
Aviation
Emissions
Reductions
(
EPA/
FAA
Voluntary
Aviation
Emissions
Reduction
Initiative)

There
is
growing
interest,
particularly
at
the
state
and
local
level,
in
addressing
emissions
from
aircraft
and
other
aviation­
related
sources.
Such
interest
is
often
related
to
plans
for
airport
expansion
which
is
occurring
across
the
country.
It
is
possible
that
other
approaches
may
provide
effective
avenues
to
achieve
additional
aviation
emissions
reductions
beyond
the
regulatory
standards
for
aircraft
engine
certification
promulgated
by
EPA.
The
Agency
invites
comment
on
the
potential
approach
for
additional
reductions
as
discussed
below
and
any
other
approaches.

Concerns
by
state
and
local
air
agencies
and
environmental
and
public
health
organizations
about
aviation
emissions
led
to
EPA
and
FAA
signing
a
memorandum
of
understanding
(
MOU)
in
March,
1998,
agreeing
to
work
to
identify
efforts
that
could
reduce
aviation
emissions.
124
Since
that
time,
FAA
and
EPA
have
jointly
chaired
a
national
stakeholder
initiative
whose
goal
is
to
develop
a
voluntary
program
to
reduce
pollutants
from
aircraft
and
other
aviation
sources
that
contribute
to
local
and
regional
air
pollution
in
the
United
States.
The
major
stakeholders
participating
in
this
initiative
include
representatives
of
the
aviation
industry
(
passenger
and
cargo
airlines
and
engine
manufacturers),
airports,
state
and
local
air
pollution
control
officials,
environmental
organizations,
and
NASA.

124FAA
and
EPA,
"
Agreement
Between
Federal
Aviation
Administration
and
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Regarding
Environmental
Matters
Relation
to
Aviation,"
signed
on
March
24,
1998
by
FAA's
Acting
Assistant
Administrator
for
Policy,
Planning,
and
International
Aviation,
Louise
Maillet,
and
EPA's
Acting
Assistant
Administrator
for
Air
and
Radiation,
Richard
Wilson.
A
copy
of
this
document
can
be
found
in
Docket
OAR­
2002­
0030,
Document
No.
__­_­
__)
Initially,
the
discussions
with
stakeholders
focused
on
the
prospect
of
aircraft
engine
emission
reduction
retrofit
kits,
which
might
be
applied
to
certain
existing
aircraft
engines.
Two
engine
models
were
indeed
certificated
with
emissions
retrofit
kits,
and
a
number
of
these
engines
have
been
purchased
for
aircraft
with
the
retrofit
kits
installed
in
their
stock
configuration.
However,
retrofit
kits
have
not
to
date
provided
widescale
emissions
improvements
because
of
their
limited
applicability
to
certain
engine
types,
small
emissions
benefit,
and
high
cost.
The
stakeholders
are
now
considering
the
impact,
operation
and
design
of
ground
service
equipment
(
GSE)
at
airports
(
e.
g.,
baggage
tugs
and
fuel
trucks),
with
projects
being
undertaken
at
several
airports
to
reduce
overall
emissions.
Operational
strategies,
such
as
reducing
the
time
in
which
aircraft
are
in
idle
and
taxi
modes
and
the
impact
of
auxiliary
power
units
(
APUs)
have
also
been
considered.

Due
to
the
differences
in
time
and
technology
that
it
takes
to
reduce
aircraft
emissions
versus
that
for
GSE,
the
stakeholders
are
seeking
to
reach
a
consensus
on
a
distinctly
two­
step
program
to
voluntarily
achieve
wide­
scale
emissions
reductions
from
GSE
and
aircraft.
Near
term
efforts
will
focus
on
emissions
reductions
from
GSE,
and
long
term
efforts
will
focus
on
reductions
from
aircraft125
The
stakeholders
are
currently
discussing
a
framework
for
reaching
consensus
on
the
goals
or
targets
for
emissions
reductions,
timing,
accountability,
State
Implementation
Plan
implications
(
including
general
conformity),
and
numerous
other
issues
that
have
been
raised
for
GSE
and
aircraft
emissions.
If
this
initiative
is
successful,
an
agreement
would
be
reached
125
The
stakeholder
program
for
aircraft
emissions
reductions
is
viewed
as
a
supplement
to
the
traditional
regulatory
approach
of
establishing
engine
emission
standards.
among
all
the
stakeholders
on
a
national,
voluntary
aviation
emissions
reduction
program.
The
mechanism
that
could
be
used
to
codify
or
enforce
an
eventual
agreement
has
yet
to
be
determined.
The
overall
goal
of
the
EPA/
FAA
stakeholder
initiative
is
to
develop
a
consistent,

national
program
that
will
achieve
significant
emissions
reductions.