US House Panel Looks Into Low-Carbon Aviation Fuel

US House of Representatives members are looking at biofuels as an alternative low-carbon aviation fuel for the aviation industry. This meeting is part of their agenda to push for more environmentally friendly legislation amidst climate problems. President Joe Biden’s administration has called for the US to decarbonize the US economy by 2050.

Flying is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. It has more than doubled in the last 20 years. 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from air travel according to the Air Transport Action Group, an alliance of aviation experts that address sustainability issues.

The aviation subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure met with low-carbon aviation fuel company World Energy along with Airlines for America and the Advanced Biofuels Association. The biofuels industry group represents around 30 companies while Airlines for America represents around 10 airlines and delivery companies.

The virtual meeting briefed subcommittee members on the importance of sustainable aviation fuel as an alternative low-carbon aviation fuel. Sustainable aviation fuel is made of animal fat, used cooking oil, and plant oils. This can replace petroleum products and we could find new uses for wastes that are otherwise thrown out.

Tax Cuts for Using Low-Carbon Aviation Fuel

According to Rick Larsen who chairs the subcommittee, “there’s not a lot of SAF being used right now relative to the US demand for aviation fuel writ large, but there’s a lot coming online”. Larsen added that “the biggest effort from a policy point of view is to include the aviation fuel in the blender’s tax credit”.

Transitioning to SAF isn’t exactly simple. There are issues that need to be addressed. SAF is currently expensive to make. Plus, there are supply issues if airlines are going to use SAF instead of the traditional fuel.

Last month, the Biden administration came up with a new tax proposal that includes a blender’s tax credit for SAF. According to the Treasury Department, this can allow “the decarbonization of a key portion of the US the US transportation sector”.