ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Sustainable aviation has been a hot topic in the past few weeks, and recently, the U.S. Senate took some action to help with just that.
Wednesday, U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced the launch of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus to promote the longevity of the aviation industry and the renewable fuels industry.
“As the aviation industry strives for lower emissions and cleaner energy sources, the development and utilization of sustainable aviation fuel will be a critical element,” Moran noted in a release from his office. “To help spur development, I am launching the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus. The caucus will work together to find ways to promote technologically innovative solutions to create a sustainable aviation industry and increase our nation’s competitiveness in the domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel.”
“As we continue our work to reduce emissions and foster energy independence, one of the most important things we can do is make aviation more sustainable by increasing the use and supply of American-grown, American-made sustainable aviation fuel,” Duckworth noted in the release from Moran’s office. “To help us do just that, I’m proud to join Senators Moran, Klobuchar and Boozman in launching the Senate’s first-ever Sustainable Aviation Caucus. With this new caucus, I look forward to continuing our work to protect and grow American SAF production for use around the world, while also reducing our carbon footprint and supporting our domestic farmers and economy.”
Moran’s colleagues also praised the launch of the caucus.
“I’m pleased to join this initiative to promote education and policies that support sustainable industry practices,” Boozman noted in the release from Moran’s office. “I look forward to working with leaders of the caucus and stakeholders to advance measures that continue to advance aviation in an environmentally sound manner.”
“Airlines across the country are committed to developing technologies to reduce carbon emissions from air travel,” Klobuchar noted in the release from Moran’s office. “The expanded use of sustainable aviation fuel will create jobs in rural areas, bolster our national security, and slash carbon emissions. This caucus aims to promote data, research, and innovation in sustainable aviation to ensure that the U.S. maintains its leadership in this field.”
“The SAF Coalition is grateful to Sen. Jerry Moran and his colleagues Senators Tammy Duckworth, John Boozman and Amy Klobuchar for their leadership in launching the bipartisan Senate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Caucus,” Alison Graab, Executive Director of The SAF Coalition, noted in the release from Moran’s office. “The formation of the SAF caucus is a positive step towards strengthening national energy security, driving economic growth, and generating quality jobs across the country through the development and deployment of SAF. We look forward to working with the caucus and other SAF advocates to enhance incentives that expand SAF production and support our nation’s energy needs.”
“GAMA applauds the bipartisan leadership of Senators Moran, Duckworth, Boozman and Klobuchar for launching the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus,” Pete Bunce, President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), noted in the release from Moran’s office. “General aviation has been at the forefront of advancing technological and operational improvements that mitigate the industry’s impact on the environment. The Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus will assist in fostering key partnerships between government and other stakeholders to further advance the industry’s sustainability commitments. We look forward to working with the caucus to highlight policies, initiatives and industry developments that will advance a more sustainable future for the aviation industry.”
Moran had spoken at the end of August at the groundbreaking of a new pilot plant designed to help produce sustainable aviation fuel.
“Kansas is the Air Capitol of the World, and through this project, we're combining the Air Capitol of the World with the best agriculture-producing state in the U.S., the breadbasket of the world. Kansas comes together in this effort to find a renewable way to help meet the needs of the aviation industry,” Moran noted at the groundbreaking. “I was here 19 years ago for the groundbreaking of the ethanol plant, and today, look at all the benefits it's provided to farmers across the region, this community and its residents. This is just the beginning of another opportunity for Liberal, and it's something we all ought to take note of, and it's because someone made a decision to just go for something. I'm always amazed when Kansans do something that doesn't have an immediate impact or benefit for themselves or their families, but they recognize 'If we do something today, great things can happen for our children and grandchildren and other future generations we won't meet.' This is just one more example of this community, these businesses, and everyone involved agreeing it's time to do something for future generations of Kansans. Kansas has a bright future because of the amazing people in our state today. I am all in as your state representative, to help four-lane U.S. Hwy. 83 from north to south, and my first congressional earmark as a House member was to help four-lane U.S. Hwy. 54 from the Oklahoma border to the city of Liberal. I've always wondered why so many things in Kansas start in the eastern part of the state and hopefully come westward, so could we, for once, start something in the west part of the state and see how far we can take it east? Transportation is front and center, and we want to continue not only that work, but we also want to continue improving air service in Southwest Kansas, and we want LanzaJet to decide to also set up an office in Kansas along with their Georgia headquarters.”
At the groundbreaking, Moran added he and his colleagues are fully committed to supporting the project.
“I'm pleased to be here with multiple colleagues of mine, and we're committed to working with Southwest Airlines and Conestoga and the other partners to make sure what the Department of Energy requires and FAA encourages is something that can be made and manufactured here,” Moran noted at the groundbreaking. “We have a huge issue that will also require cooperation from the Department of the Treasury, the IRS and the Biden Administration to define 45-Z, the tax code provision, in a way that makes sustainable aviation field a viable opportunity for the kinds of products needed that we're lobbying for. In the interest of bringing aviation and agriculture together, I now chair a caucus in the Senate to educate ourselves and our staffs in order to help advance the cause of renewable energy. This begins with a groundbreaking, but I can't wait for this to lead to a ribbon-cutting, and then the utilization of corn stover and other Kansas products in a way that creates great economic opportunities and a cleaner environment.”