AAAE, NATA Pan EPA De-icing Fluid Proposal

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and National Air Transportation Association (NATA) both recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on proposed new rules for limiting de-icing fluid runoff at commercial airports. The EPA proposal would establish standards for the amount of aircraft de-icing fluid that airports must recapture and prevent from entering wastewater runoff. Under the proposed regulation, airports with more than 10,000 annual aircraft departures and 1,000 annual jet departures would be required to capture fluid. AAAE is concerned that the standards would put undue financial burdens and create safety hazards at many airports. Among the flaws that AAAE points out: airports that meet the jet and total departure threshold but use a minimum amount of fluid because they are in warmer climates would still need to have recapture capabilities. Meanwhile, NATA director of regulatory affairs Michael France said his association “is concerned that the EPA’s one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with de-icing runoff does not adequately account for the unique operations at our nation’s commercial service airports.” The EPA is now reviewing comments and is expected to issue a final rule within the next year.