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Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Michael Whitaker is leading the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to reduce the aviation industry’s reliance on oil.
However, a recent financial disclosure revealed that Whitaker owns an oil well in Uinta County, Wyoming, leased to Hilcorp Energy, the largest privately held oil company in the U.S. The well, valued at up to $100,000, provides Whitaker with up to $5,000 annually in royalties.
While this investment is minor compared to Whitaker’s multimillion-dollar assets, it raises questions about his commitment to the administration’s climate agenda, which seeks to transition from fossil fuels to green energy.
In February, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker announced new regulations aimed at manufacturing more fuel-efficient airplanes, reducing carbon emissions, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. He highlighted this as a significant step forward in the Aviation Climate Action Plan, which targets a 9% reduction in domestic transportation emissions and 2% of the nation’s total emissions from civil aircraft.
The plan, developed before Whitaker’s confirmation in October 2023, includes advancing efficient aircraft engines, electrifying certain flights, producing sustainable aviation fuels, and funding climate research.
According to the International Energy Agency, despite progress, the aviation industry is not yet on track to reach the net-zero goal by 2050.
Critics, like O.H. Skinner, executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, argue that such green policies burden everyday people with higher costs while leaders, like Whitaker, who promote them, continue to live comfortably, sometimes owning assets like oil wells.
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