AIA Testifies Before Congress Against The European Union's Hushkit Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- In testimony today before the House Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Aviation, AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass said that the European Union's Non-Addition Rule would undermine the integrity of international standards agreed to in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He described the rule as being discriminatory against U.S. industry, and having the effect of protectionism. "If this rule is enacted," he said, "the EU will have shown that any country or region can ignore its international obligations and confer an advantage to its own industry by passing an 'environmental regulation' with no evidence of environmental benefit." A patchwork of conflicting regulations would inflict serious damage to the global aviation industry, he said. Douglass added that manufacturers designing aircraft to meet new standards for noise and emissions must be assured that no country will change the rules to suit its own ends after leaving the negotiating table. The EU, Douglass said, has justified the rule with the assertion that it will result in reduced noise at congested European airports. However, the EU has been unable or unwilling to provide credible data to support these assertions. Douglass said that AIA has asked the Administration to examine the legality of the EU regulation. He added that the rule was carefully worded to affect only U.S. products. The effect of protectionism is further demonstrated in projections for the aircraft resale market. If this rule is implemented, U.S. airline fleets will lose value disproportionately. The cost of aircraft financing will increase once financial institutions realize that ICAO standards cannot be relied upon and that the useful life of an aircraft may be subject to the whim of every national government in the world.
