The U.S. has big ambitions to decarbonize commercial aviation. Are additional actions needed to make these ambitions a reality? This article takes a deeper dive into SAF policy to see if the industry is able to learn and apply those findings from similar experiences with wind and solar. 

The upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election has the green energy world worried. In particular, developers of low-carbon clean and renewable energy projects are concerned about regulatory and legislative changes that may be adopted. But even if some parts of the IRA may be vulnerable to change, certain areas may be politically safe no matter who is in charge.

Participating in EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”) program, California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (“LCFS”) program and/or using federal tax credits comes with specific legal requirements, including related to the feedstock that is used for sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) production. This article highlights new requirements and challenges related to biogas, separated food waste recordkeeping, and related carbon accounting models.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is considered the aviation industry’s best option to reduce or eliminate emissions, but scaling SAF production to meet industry targets requires an integrated regulatory environment, innovative financing and collaboration within the industry. This article explores key mechanisms in place, or requiring development, to enable the scaling required.

The use of SAF is expected to be the biggest contributor to aviation decarbonisation efforts and therefore to reaching IATA and ICAO’s ambitious 2050 goals. To achieve that anticipated impact, scale-up will need to be rapid, so understanding the potential hurdles, and opportunities to optimise, is vital.