Currently, ag aircraft are outside of the rule
Large turboprop airplanes in production on or after Jan. 1, 2028, would be subject to the EPA’s proposed aircraft greenhouse gas emissions standards.
Last week after a review by the Office of Management and Budget, the EPA released its proposal to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from jet and turboprop powered aircraft. The proposal will be listed in the Federal Register for comment.
In 2016 the Obama administration signed on to the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plan to reduce GHG emissions from jet and turboprop aircraft. The EPA’s current proposal is to regulate (among other types) turboprop aircraft with a takeoff mass greater than 8,618 kilograms (18,959 pounds). This weight puts all the current agricultural aircraft outside of the rule. The rule requires carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions to be mitigated by increased efficiency and carbon offsets.
The proposed GHG standards would apply to new type design airplanes on or after Jan. 1, 2020, and to in-production airplanes on or after Jan. 1, 2028. They would not apply to already manufactured airplanes currently in use. New type design airplanes are newly developed airplane designs that have not previously been type certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are not yet being built or flown. In-production airplanes are new airplanes with designs that have already been type certificated by FAA and are already in production, and these airplanes will continue to be produced and sold after the effective date of the standards.
NAAA is watching this development closely. These rules have a way of expanding, as many environmentalists feel the ICAO aircraft standards are not rigorous enough. NAAA has the data that shows modern agriculture, of which ag aviation is an important component, is already doing a very good job in reducing GHG emissions. (Look for the Washington Report in Agricultural Aviation’s upcoming Fall issue for more on this topic.)
