Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call to discuss his Sustainable Skies Act, which would provide a tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Brown’s legislation aims to support the growth of the SAF industry in Ohio and capture more of the jet fuel market, as airlines work to cut aviation’s carbon emissions in half, by offering a tax credit for sustainable-aviation fuel used in place of traditional jet fuel. Fuel would qualify if it creates at least 50 percent fewer emissions than traditional airplane fuel.
“The aerospace industry already employs tens of thousands of Ohioans. With this tax credit, we can help sustainable fuel production get off the ground by making it more cost-effective for airlines, and allow the industry to grow and scale up production and research,” said Brown. “When we commit to increasing sustainable fuel production, we’re both reducing emissions and jumpstarting a new, homegrown industry.”
Ohio, the birthplace of aviation, is well positioned to be a leader in the use and production of these new fuels with companies like GE Aviation supporting SAF development, and researchers at the University of Dayton, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson, and NASA Glenn working on low-carbon fuels.
On the call, Brown spoke with Chris Lorence, chief engineer of jet engine maker GE Aviation which is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio.
“Sustainable Aviation Fuel is vital to help the aviation industry meet its shared commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions from commercial flight by 2050,” said Lorence. “This requires increasing supply of SAF and introducing incentives that encourage the aviation industry to speed up SAF adoption. This tax credit supports these goals and will lead toward a more sustainable future of flight.”
In 2018, the sustainable aviation fuel industry created about 2 million gallons of fuel. The goal with this legislation is to grow that number to 3 billion gallons by 2030. Air travel accounts for as much as 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions, 12 percent of U.S. transportation emissions and demand for air travel is expected to double over the next 20 years.
The legislation is supported by Airlines for America, American Line Pilot Association, Boeing, the Environmental Defense Fund, GE Aviation, NetJets and United Airlines among others.
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