May 16, 2022
NBAA has joined forces with a broad coalition of aviation industry stakeholders to urge the Biden administration to continue its support of the nascent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry.
Although a long-term dedicated SAF blender’s tax credit – which passed the House of Representatives last year and is pending in the Senate – is still a crucial policy priority for NBAA, the association is working with its partners to advocate regulatory changes or improvements that could help bolster the SAF supply.
“NBAA will continue to advocate for the SAF blender’s tax credit, which we believe is critical to building a strong domestic SAF industry,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We will also collaborate with industry stakeholders to ensure that the federal regulatory landscape provides opportunities to enhance SAF supply.”
In a letter to National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, NBAA and others urged the Biden administration to take “readily obtainable steps to address regulatory roadblocks that currently hinder further commercialization and scale-up of SAF. To complement the tremendous work being undertaken by the U.S Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Transportation in the SAF Grand Challenge, we specifically urge additional participation and action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”
The letter urges the EPA to make simple fixes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) annual rule “that would dramatically improve the opportunity to achieve the administration’s 2030 Grand Challenge goal of 3 billion gallons of SAF.”
The changes NBAA and others are seeking would make it easier for SAF from a wider variety of feedstocks to qualify for renewable identification numbers – credits used for compliance with the RFS program.
The letter noted that both the commercial and business aviation industries are actively working to reduce aviation’s environmental impact and have made public commitments to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“With a current lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction of up to 80% compared to conventional, petroleum-based jet fuel, SAF is crucial to meeting those climate goals,” stated the letter.
“Creating a commercial supply of SAF is of critical importance to both the aviation sector and our nation’s environment,” the signatories added. “We believe the SAF Grand Challenge can be the foundation for a viable and productive domestic SAF industry, creating tens of thousands of jobs and enabling the United States to retain its position as the world leader in this emerging market.
“However, it is imperative that the Biden administration act now to solidify a complementary regulatory framework to foster cleaner, more sustainable, and more secure domestic energy sources for aviation.”
Read the full letter in support of the SAF Grand Challenge (PDF)
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.