With pressure increasing from all quarters for aviation to lighten its load on our ecological systems, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) said on Wednesday it has established an Environmental Committee. The committee will review issues and develop NATA’s position for dealing with concerns such as aircraft emissions, carbon offset programs, spill prevention and containment, the environmental impact of de-icing fluid, and changes to the Clean Water Act as they affect aviation businesses. The committee will hold its first meeting Jan. 28, 2008, in Savannah, Ga. Traver Gruen-Kennedy, DayJet’s vice president of strategic operations, will preside as chairman. He said this week that the committee will strive to ensure that the industry stays “ahead of the curve” on environmental matters. “Whether it is carbon offset programs to reduce aircraft emissions or the concerns about de-icing fluids’ impact on the environment, we are just being inundated with potential conflicts,” he said.
NATA President James Coyne added, “There is no doubt that the environmental movement we are seeing today could be the greatest challenge confronting our industry in quite some time. By establishing this new committee, we hope to take a proactive step so that we, as an industry, are prepared to meet any calls for new environmental standards while making certain that common sense and practicability are applied.”
