On Wednesday, according to The Hill, the White House Office of Management and Budget approved new plans to regulate airplane emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency will now hold hearings on the prospective findings, then write up regulation. According to the OMB, the EPA has shown that such emissions justify an “endangerment finding” because they affect climate change; the regulations will reportedly “align… with regulations that the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations, is developing.”
So the Obama administration wants to crack down on emissions from airplanes. Except, of course, if President Obama is aboard. Then, it’s a different story. The Air Force has now chosen a $367 million Boeing 747-8 (before upgrades) that runs 4,786 square feet; Business Insider calls the plane a “palace in the sky.” It’s the longest airliner ever and flies 8,000 nautical miles at a clip. The interiors are glossy and gorgeous, including leather couches, big screen TVs, top-of-the-line side tables, a state room that would make the MGM Grand envious, a huge office, and a conference room.
The current Air Force One is insufficient for the Obama administration and the Air Force. A Boeing 747-200B series model, Air Force One can refuel in midair, has in excess of 4,000 square feet on three levels, and includes an office, a conference room, a medical suite, two galleys capable of feeding 100 people, plus quarters for the president’s staff, press, and guests. Taxpayers currently spend $206,337 for every flight hour aboard Air Force One.
As for emissions, the current Air Force One burns 5 gallons of jet fuel for every mile flown, amounting to 21.1 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per gallon. The new Air Force One supposedly lowers fuel consumption by 14 percent. Nonetheless, the new Air Force One will rack up the emissions: one flight from Washington D.C. to Florida six weeks ago emitted more carbon than 17 passenger cars would in a year.
Ben Shapiro is Senior Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the book, The People vs. Barack Obama: The Criminal Case Against The Obama Administration (Threshold Editions, June 10, 2014). Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.
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