Washington, D.C. – Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels (ACAF) submitted a comment letter to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) request for information highlighting the aviation sector’s shared goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. ACAF members, who represent the full clean aviation fuels (CAF) value chain—from farmers, fuel producers and manufacturers, to aviation and agribusiness—urged the agency to focus on three key considerations:

• Enabling a broad array of feedstocks and climate-smart practices;
• Incorporating transparent and science-based assumptions and practices; and
• Supporting credibility without overburdening and stifling producers while fostering innovation through flexibility.

“American farmers and feedstock producers, supported by sound science and industry leading practices, stand by to contribute to the daunting task of supporting industry growth that achieves 3 billion gallons of SAF production by 2030 and meets 100% of aviation fuel demand by 2050,” ACAF’s comment stated. 

The Office of Energy and Environmental Policy within the USDA released a request for public input in June on the reporting and verification of climate-smart agriculture practices' impact on reducing GHG emissions, specifically regarding domestic crops used in biofuel production.

In the comment, ACAF thanked Director Hohenstein for the opportunity to provide input on the shared goal of reducing GHG emissions and applauded the USDA for working with agency and industry partners to determine the path forward.

ACAF is committed to driving the expansion and use of CAFs and American-grown feedstocks and harnessed energy. CAFs provide an environmentally sound alternative to using conventional jet fuel by significantly reducing lifecycle GHG emissions and encompass the universe of sustainable aviation fuels – biofuels or synthetic fuels derived from renewable biomass feedstocks, waste resources, and renewable energy resources, as well as captured carbon and hydrogen.

ACAF’s full comment letter can be found here.