Saturday, August 17, 2024
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The FAA allocates $291M from the Inflation Reduction Act to achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050, supporting Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allocates $291 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to support aviation’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to enhancing the safety, sustainability and efficiency of our national air transportation system—and reaching our mid-century target of net-zero emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will help put the world on a path toward decarbonizing aviation while fostering domestic economic growth and ensuring the U.S. retains its global leadership in aviation.”
Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) Grants Breakdown:
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Projects
- Funding: $244.5 million
- Purpose: Supports 22 projects focused on the production, transportation, blending, or storage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as well as scoping studies related to SAF infrastructure needs.
- Impact: SAFs, derived from renewable sources, significantly reduce carbon pollution compared to conventional jet fuel and are compatible with current aircraft and engines. These grants aim to expand SAF production, enhance supply chains, and increase accessibility.
- Low-Emission Aviation Technologies Projects
- Funding: $46.5 million
- Purpose: Supports 14 projects that develop, demonstrate, or apply low-emission aviation technologies.
- Impact: These grants will help reduce carbon pollution, improve aircraft fuel efficiency, and boost SAF utilization.
Example Grant Awards:
- Funding: $16.8 million
- Project: Conversion of an existing fuel facility in Luverne, Minnesota, into a fully integrated alcohol-to-jet facility for SAF production.
- City of Atlanta
- Funding: $240,000
- Project: Study of regional supply chains, infrastructure, and distribution needs to enable SAF deployment at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.
- JetZero, Inc
- Funding: $8 million
- Project: Development of key enabling technologies for a highly fuel-efficient blended-wing-body airplane, with work taking place in Long Beach, California; Wichita, Kansas; and Starkville, Mississippi.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Funding: $2.7 million
- Project: Construction of a test facility to advance high-power electrified airplane technologies.