A Louisiana insurance company CEO is under fire for taking a private jet every two days, according to WWL.
The practice was brought up by state Sen. Jay Luneau to the state's insurance commissioner during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. The concern was that Louisianans would be footing the bill for those flights if they were being written off as business expenses. The commissioner noted that the practice remained perfectly legal.
"There's nothing wrong with making money," said Luneau, per WWL. "But when insurance rates have gone up so much and they're so difficult for people to contend with in the state of Louisiana, we have to look at everything."
Following this meeting, the legislature passed a bill that gave the insurance commissioner the power to limit insurance rate hikes regardless of market forces.
Besides their monetary costs, private jets are a major contributor to atmospheric pollution. Their low occupancy and short travel times make private jets one of the dirtiest ways to get around. There's the added irony of an insurance company contributing so heavily to this issue, as home insurance premiums have gone up significantly due to climate risks borne of increased carbon pollution.
Atmospheric pollution is contributing to destructive weather patterns, melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, drought, floods, ocean acidification, and warming. Holding heavy polluters accountable is an important step to avoiding those outcomes, and some jurisdictions have started to do so. France and soon Spain will have banned short-haul domestic flights in an effort to push more travel by train.
Louisiana will, at the very least, be holding insurance executives more accountable with its new legislation.
"Jet airplanes are very expensive to operate, and that's not a long distance to drive," Luneau said, per WWL. "I couldn't understand why they were operating that plane in that manner."
|
Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
