Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
05.19.23
Cantwell Announces Major New Sustainable Aviation Fuel Investment in Washington State
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation applauded SkyNRG’s decision to construct a major new sustainable aviation fuel production facility in the State of Washington.
“It’s no surprise that Washington state continues to lead the way in the aviation sector,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Investing in sustainable aviation technologies is critical to maintaining aviation sector growth and high wage jobs while meeting our emission reduction goals. I appreciate the region’s continued support for the sustainable aviation fuel investments we were able to secure last Congress and look forward to building upon this progress in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization bill.”
Sen. Cantwell has been a strong advocate for sustainable aviation and has worked on several legislative initiatives including securing $297 million for the Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Low-Emissions Aviation Technology Grant Program, now known as the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program, which was enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act. She also partnered with her Senate colleagues to introduce the Sustainable Skies Act in 2019, a version of which was also incorporated in the Inflation Reduction Act to provide a robust new tax credit to increase the supply and bring down the cost of sustainable aviation fuel. Recently, Sen. Cantwell joined a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing continued support for implementing the sustainable aviation fuel tax credit as intended to effectively scale up the domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel.
Sen. Cantwell, along with Washington state aviation and environmental leaders including SkyNRG, Climate Solutions, and the Port of Seattle, pushed for the inclusion of the SAF grant program and SAF blender’s tax credit in the Build Back Better package at a press conference held at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in October 2021.
Last August, Sen. Cantwell brought U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to tell her about the progress our region is making on sustainable aviation fuels.
As Senate Commerce Committee Chair, Cantwell will lead Congressional efforts this year to reauthorize the FAA and increase the adoption of low-emission and innovative aviation technologies for cleaner, quieter, and more affordable air travel.