California has reached what state officials are calling a “historic” agreement with the nation’s leading passenger and cargo airlines to bolster the use of sustainable aviation fuel for flights within the state.
The agreement was reached on Oct. 30 between the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Airlines for America (A4A), an industry trade organization representing nearly a dozen major U.S. airlines, according to a statement from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Under the deal, the availability of sustainable aviation fuel in the state will increase to 200 million gallons by 2035, an amount that Newsom’s office said would meet about 40 percent of intrastate travel demand.
That amount also marks a more than tenfold increase from current levels, according to the governor’s office.
Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a low-carbon alternative to petroleum-based jet fuel and is made from renewable biomass or waste.
When used, SAF can cut carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 80 percent compared to regular jet fuel, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Currently, SAF is not widely used commercially and accounts for roughly 0.1 percent of aviation fuel used globally.
The deal, made amid California’s ongoing push toward achieving net-zero emissions, was welcomed by Newsom, who said the state and the aviation industry are joining forces to “tackle emissions head-on.”
White House Tackles Aviation Emissions
A4A represents Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air Worldwide, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS, and associate member Air Canada.The agreement, which is voluntary and nonbinding, will see CARB and the airline trade group work together to “identify, evaluate, and prioritize” new policies and actions, as well as incentives for investments to help accelerate the availability and use of SAF for intrastate flights.
The deal will also establish a “sustainable aviation fuel working group” comprising government and industry stakeholders that will meet annually to report on progress and barriers in meeting the goals.
Additionally, CARB will create a public website providing up-to-date information on the availability and use of conventional jet fuel and SAF within California. The website will also provide details on state and federal incentives and policies.
Three years ago, the federal government set a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050.
The Biden administration also sought to reduce aviation emissions by 20 percent by 2030 amid ongoing pressure from environmental groups to lower their carbon footprint.
While the White House aims to meet all the aviation fuel demand in the United States with SAF by 2050, the fuel is costly to produce because of the refining process and can be up to five times more expensive than conventional jet fuel, according to aircraft management and maintenance service Elevate Aviation Group.
Additionally, SAF has a lower energy density than traditional jet fuel, meaning aircraft would need to carry larger quantities on board for extended flights, which could make it impractical, according to the environmental think tank Earth.org.
