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Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uses the power of biology to launch airliners. A group of senators said they will use their legislative power to help launch SAF as a climate-friendly, commercially viable alternative to fossil fuels.
The bipartisan Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus—consisting of Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Jerry Moran (R-KS)—was announced on Sept. 25 and officially introduced on the Senate floor earlier this month. The caucus recognizes SAF as a key tool in the effort to reduce the climate impact of air travel.
“BIO applauds these members of the Senate, who have the foresight to see the immense potential of the sustainable aviation fuel market,” said John Torres, Senior Director, Federal Government Relations, Agriculture & Environment at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). “SAF will not only decarbonize commercial air traffic but also create economic development opportunities for American companies who are pioneering the use of biotechnology to manufacture aviation biofuels.”
What is SAF?
Produced with biotech from renewable feedstocks, SAF offers an immediate-term solution to slash the impact of air travel on climate change. SAF can be dropped into existing commercial airline engines and can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional fossil fuels.
The challenge is producing SAF at commercial scale. While SAF production is set to reach 30,000 barrels a day by year’s end, total U.S. jet fuel consumption is about 1.6 million barrels a day, according to the Energy Information Administration.
The Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus can provide the legislative support necessary to encourage a scale of SAF production that makes this climate-friendly solution impactful and economically feasible.
What Congress is doing to support SAF
One piece of legislation highlighted by the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus members is the proposed Farm to Fly Act.
Introduced by caucus members Sens. Moran, Klobuchar, and Duckworth (D-Ill.), along with Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the bill would enhance U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) support for SAF production by:
- Clarifying eligibility for SAF within current USDA Bio-Energy Programs and expanding markets for American agricultural crops through aviation bioenergy.
- Enabling collaboration for aviation biofuels throughout USDA agency mission areas and increasing private sector partnerships.
- Affirming a common definition of SAF for USDA purposes that is supported by industry.
Another pro-SAF effort in Congress is the House version of the Caucus.
Created on June 10, the bipartisan Congressional Sustainable Aviation Caucus seeks to enable new technologies like SAF to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel.
How BIO and its members are supporting SAF
BIO belongs to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition, which consists of more than 50 organizations and companies working in travel and biotech. Together they seek to promote the uptake of SAF.
The SAF Coalition expressed support for the new Senate Caucus and the House Caucus.
Meanwhile, BIO member companies advancing SAF include Virent, which fueled the first transatlantic flight of a commercial aircraft powered 100% with SAF, and LanzaJet, which recently opened the world’s first production facility to convert plant-based and low-carbon ethanol into SAF in Soperton, Georgia.
BIO has long worked for these and other members to promote government policy that encourages the production and use of SAF.
BIO has also promoted policy to support SAFs through legislation like the Farm Bill. “We think the Farm Bill could be a great vehicle to add some incentives around the airline industry’s adoption of biofuels,” Torres has said.
