Europe May Ease Jet Carbon Fees

The transportation chief of the European Union said Monday that airlines based in the United States could receive an exemption, at least in part, from European carbon regulations if Washington moved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home. The European Union agreed two years ago to include in the regulations all airlines taking off from, and landing in, the European Union starting Jan. 1, 2012. The law is the boldest move yet by the bloc to push the rest of the world to comply with its climate policies. It has led to widespread criticism from the airline industry, especially from carriers in the United States. Under the law, airlines would be charged for only about 15 percent of the cost of permits needed to cover their emissions until the end of the decade. Any exemption would probably apply only to travel to Europe from the United States and other parts of the world. Airlines would probably still need to hold enough European pollution permits to compensate for emissions from flights taking off from the Continent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/business/global/12emit.html?ref=earth