Friend,

What do Travis Scott, Kim Kardashian, and Elon Musk have in common?

They topped the list of private jet emission producers in 2023.*

Last year, the top 30 private jet users took 2,646 flights, producing 71,816,100 kilograms of CO2 emissions.

It would take 30 commercial airline passengers taking 111,654 flights from JFK to SFO to produce the same level of CO2 emissions.

Private jets carry fewer people and produce up to 14 times more CO2 emissions than commercial airplanes. And while private jet use is on the rise, making up nearly 17% of all flights managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, years of tax exemptions and breaks mean their fuel tax contributes only 2% of the taxes the FAA relies on.

That’s why Senator Ed Markey and I introduced the FATCAT Act of 2023. 

Only affecting the .0008% of Americans who own private jets, increasing taxes on fuel from $0.22 to $1.95 will not only add millions to the FAA’s Clean Communities Trust Fund – supporting air monitoring for environmental justice communities and long-term investments in clean, affordable public transportation across the country – it may also disincentivize private jet travel. This could decrease the number of private flights and overall CO2 emission production.

This administration has been working non-stop to right the wrongs of our former climate-change-denying president and pass historic legislation to combat climate change. 

To continue this work, we need the FATCAT Act and we need responsible believers in climate science and climate change leading our government. That’s why this year’s election is so crucial. 

It’s simple – Republicans’ actions have sped up the impacts of climate change, and Democrats are working to slow them down. A vote for Democrats in the House, Senate, and Presidency is a vote for the future.

Are you with me?

Nydia

*PS: Where’s Taylor, you may ask?

After being the top emitter of 2022, Taylor reduced her 2023 emissions – she didn’t even make the top 30 as she traveled to 24 cities to play 66 shows. But she should still pay her fair share – no matter where she ranks on the list.