Cantwell Announces Research Grant to WSU to Build Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chains
Cantwell successfully pushed to include new sustainable aviation fuel grant program and SAF tax credit in pending Build Back Better bill. Jet fuel responsible for 8% of Washington state’s total greenhouse gas emissions; SeaTac striving to power every flight with at least 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2028
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that Washington State University (WSU) is one of five universities selected to receive a research grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment (ASCENT), a program Cantwell has long advocated for. This grant will be used to help build out the sustainable aviation fuel supply chain across the county.
“Sustainable aviation fuels are essential to the continued growth of the aviation sector and the jobs the industry supports across Washington state. This grant will enable WSU to leverage their leadership in agriculture research to diversify our nation’s fuels sources,” said Senator Cantwell.
The research supported by these grants will concentrate on identifying regional feedstock that can become sustainable aviation fuel using the region’s existing infrastructure, creating a dependable supply within reach of airport demand. For WSU, a $412,000 grant will be used to evaluate how existing pulp and paper, sugarcane mills, dry corn ethanol plants, and petroleum refineries could be used to produce jet fuel from various crops, waste materials, and forest harvests. The funding will help to bolster the national liquid fuel supply chain and support U.S. job growth.
“WSU continues to be grateful for the ongoing leadership of Senator Maria Cantwell on this important issue to our state and nation’s aerospace economy,” said Dr. Michael Wolcott, ASCENT Director. “With her support and the support of Secretary Buttigieg, ASCENT will continue to work with our partner institutions to conduct research informing the aviation industry, policymakers, and the FAA on pathways for growing the sustainable aviation fuels industry.”
Currently, air travel accounts for roughly 2.5% of global carbon pollution and 11% of U.S. transportation-related emissions. Aviation emissions are projected to grow substantially and immediate action is required to meet climate goals. SAFs are environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum based jet fuel made from feedstocks such as oil seeds, wood waste, used cooking oil, algae, even garbage that can be used directly in existing aircraft. Compared to standard jet fuel, SAFs can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 80 percent and produce significantly lower levels of local air pollution.
Washington state has been at the forefront of SAF research, development, and demonstration. Building SAF supply chains and scaling up regional production would create additional economic opportunities for farmers, manufacturers, start-ups, and others in the biofuels supply chain and help maintain the aerospace industry that employs more than 250,000 jobs in our state.
The SAF and low-emissions aviation technology grant program included in the proposed Build Back Better package is a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT). It would allocate $300 million to produce, transport, blend, or store sustainable aviation fuel, and to develop, demonstrate, or apply low-emission aviation technologies. The grant program is designed to support U.S.-based jobs by increasing the domestic production and deployment of SAF and the use of low-emission aviation technologies. The DOT grant program is open to state and local governments, air carriers, airport sponsors, accredited higher education institutions, research institutions, and companies.
Senator Cantwell has long been a Congressional champion of sustainable aviation fuels and lowering the carbon footprint of the aviation sector. In June 2021, Senator Cantwell introduced the Sustainable Skies Act and was incorporated into the Clean Energy for America Act, which advanced through the Senate Finance Committee on May 26. The legislation would create a $1.50-$2.00/gallon blender's tax credit for SAFs that achieve a 50% or greater reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based jet fuels and is currently also under consideration for inclusion in the Build Back Better bill.
More information on each of the FAA grant recipients is available HERE and more information on ASCENT is available HERE
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