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PRESS RELEASE: ACAF Members Build Momentum in National Effort to Scale Clean Aviation Fuels

Apr 30, 2024

Americans for clean aviation Fuels is the first national coalition focused on promoting the benefits of building a robust U.S. market for All Clean Aviation Fuels Including SAF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Tuesday, April 29, 2024


WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nearly six months after launching, Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels (ACAF), members are building momentum in their national effort to scale the U.S. market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). ACAF is the first national coalition to bring together diverse members across the full SAF value chain—from farmers, fuel producers and manufacturers, to aviation and agribusiness. ACAF has been crisscrossing the country to educate and encourage pro-growth energy policies to build a U.S. market for SAF and all clean aviation fuels, and provide alternatives to the over 12 billion gallons of traditional jet fuel used in the U.S. every year. Economic models show that as U.S. SAF production scales up, this new American industry has the potential to attract over $1.5 trillion in private investment, create or support over 400,000 jobs at its peak, and generate $78 billion in new economic gains. States with available biomass and ability to produce SAF will experience the largest job and economic benefits, with the Midwest and America’s heartland communities leading the way. 


The aviation industry is gearing up for the SAF transition and airlines globally have committed to purchasing billions of gallons of SAF over the next few decades. But right now, there isn’t enough SAF in the world to fuel the global aviation industry for a single day. 


“We are excited to continue this important work,” said Nick Boeyink, ACAF’s Iowa-based States Director. “We can continue buying billions of barrels of imported petroleum jet fuel, or we can take flight with the SAF movement and reinvigorate rural America. Building a robust U.S. SAF market just makes sense—for jobs, the economy and American energy security.” 


ACAF AMPLIFIES VOICES NATIONWIDE IN SUPPORT OF EXPANDING AMERICA’S CAFs MARKET


Des Moines Register: The fate of sustainable aviation fuel is in the hands of Biden regulators 

By Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy 

President Joe Biden predicted last summer that in the next 20 years, U.S. farmers will provide the feedstock for 95% of all sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF — a vision that lines up with his administration’s Grand Challenge to increase American SAF production to 35 billion gallons annually by 2050. Given the inherent challenges of reducing carbon emissions in air travel, the president’s goal is significant. That’s because SAF, a homegrown fuel source from America’s heartland, represents the most promising, in-production and scalable lever to help airlines achieve a net zero future. However, the reality is that today, there’s not enough SAF produced annually to fuel global commercial aviation for even one week.


Toledo Blade: Ohio is Poised to Power the Next Generation of Flight

By Rusty Goebel, President of the Ohio Soybean Association 

Over a century ago, Ohio secured its place in history as a launchpad for American aviation innovation. It stood again on the forefront of the transportation transformation as the state became a leading producer of corn ethanol. Today, we once again have an enormous opportunity to lead the nation with game-changing innovation in the development and scale of clean aviation fuel, specifically bio-based sustainable aviation fuel or SAF. Powering flights with homegrown SAF will not only create good paying jobs for Ohioans, but it will create a ripple effect across our entire state’s economy. 


Albany Times Union: A Chance for New York to Decrease Emissions from Air Travel

By Amelia DeLuca, CSO of Delta Air Lines

New York has long been a leader in combating climate change. But reaching New York’s ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is going to take governments and industries working together to cross the finish line – and the transportation industry must be part of the conversation. Right now, transportation accounts for approximately a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., the largest share of any sector. The global aviation sector alone is responsible for 1 billion tons of emissions, 3% of the world’s total. At the root of the problem is airlines’ dependence on petroleum-based fuel options. Currently, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most promising lever to accelerate the airline industry on a path to net zero by 2050. 


Aiken Standard: Clean aviation fuels can take flight from South Carolina 

Also seen on: FITSNews 

By J.D. Chaplin, row crop farmer from Hartsville and chairman of the Darlington County Republican Party 

Agriculture and aviation are key drivers of South Carolina’s economy. With the right strategy, South Carolina’s agriculture sector can power American aviation, too. As governments and businesses work together to reduce carbon emissions from airplanes, a consensus is forming around the most effective lever: clean aviation fuels, such as biomass-based sustainable aviation fuel. With the right policies in place, South Carolina has an opportunity to lead in building a strong American SAF market, spurring jobs and economic growth across the Palmetto State.


Des Moines Register: Clean aviation fuels check the boxes for agriculture, for America

By Kirk Leeds, CEO of the Iowa Soybean Association

With the drums of war beating again in the Middle East, America faces a pressing need to secure stable, affordable fuel supplies that do not make us dependent on dictators and volatile foreign crude oil. Yet ample opportunities remain untapped in our own heartland. Advanced biofuels offer a path to build robust clean energy industries that strengthen our farmers, create jobs, and safeguard our energy security.


Detroit News: Bill will help drive sustainable aviation

By Amelia DeLuca, CSO of Delta Air Lines 

When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed historic clean energy legislation last November, it immediately positioned Michigan as a national leader in the fight against climate change. In fact, the global community took notice when the state set a goal to produce 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2040. As leaders in the aviation industry, Delta Air Lines hopes Michigan will continue its efforts to help protect our planet by passing legislation to help decarbonize the aviation industry, a hard-to-abate sector.



ACAF MEMBERS PRESS FOR CAFs IN KEY STATES ACROSS AMERICA


Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit (Iowa) Appearing alongside presidential candidates, founding members of ACAF – Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor and Delta Air Lines Vice President of State and Local Government Affairs Jeff Davidman – highlighted the promising future of CAFs, SAF, at the annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in January.


Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit (Washington, D.C.) – Founding members of ACAF — Delta Air Lines Chief Sustainability Officer Amelia DeLuca and Airlines for America Vice President for Environmental Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer Kevin Welsh — discussed the economic benefits of SAF for American farmers during the keynote discussion at Agri-Pulse’s annual Ag & Food Policy Summit held in Washington, D.C. This national conference brought together agriculture and energy industry leaders, policy experts and elected officials to focus on key topics such as biomanufacturing, climate-smart agriculture practices and sustainable aviation – including the future of SAF. 


CERAWeek (Texas) — Founding members of ACAF — Exxon Mobil Corporation Chairman and CEO Darren Woods, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor and Delta Air Lines Managing Director for State and Local Government Affairs Patricia Ornst — attended the 2024 CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, in March. CERAWeek is a premier industry conference for leaders in the energy and environment space, and it is highly attended by the most well-known industry experts, Administration officials and Fortune 500 C-Suite executives.

  • Exxon’s Darren Woods participated in the Leadership Dialogue series
  • Growth Energy’s Emily Skor participated in a panel discussion on “Business Models to Scale Biofuels Supply”
  • Delta’s Patricia Ornst participated in a panel discussion on “Flying with Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The Future is Now”


Illinois Sustainable Aviation Fuel Conference (Illinois) – Founding ACAF member – ExxonMobil – represented by Senior Vice President Jack Williams – joined state and local energy and transportation leaders at the inaugural Illinois Sustainable Aviation Fuel Conference held by key stakeholders in this space. Williams participated in a fireside chat and discussed the importance of smart policies to support SAF production. Scaling up SAF would support the creation of high-quality jobs throughout the country – particularly in the Midwest states, including Illinois – and promote domestic energy independence and economic development for years to come. 


NREL’s Sustainable Aviation Energy Conference (Texas) — Founding member of ACAF Delta Air Lines – represented by Vice President of Government Affairs Cherie Wilson – spoke at the Sustainable Aviation Energy Conference hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Wilson participated in a panel entitled “The Importance of Federal Industry Collaboration to Achieving Aviation Ecosystem Goals.” Her remarks focused on building a policy framework to help grow America’s CAFs market – highlighting the economic benefits to heartland farmers as well as national efforts to reduce carbon emissions through innovation across the value chain.   


Truerra’s Partners in Excellence Summit (Florida) – Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor delivered remarks at Truterra’s annual education summit in Clearwater, Florida. She emphasized the importance of scaling the SAF market, particularly to support farmers’ livelihoods across the heartland.




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Media Contact:

Mickey Sundermann

mickey@rokksolutions.com


About Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels (ACAF) 

ACAF is a dynamic coalition of industry leaders from the aviation, manufacturers, energy, and agriculture sectors, united in their mission to advance the production and adoption of clean aviation fuels. Committed to driving economic growth, reducing emissions, and bolstering national security, ACAF represents a pivotal force in propelling sustainable aviation practices in the U.S. while creating good-paying jobs. For more information about ACAF and to see a list of founding members, please visit www.americansforcleanaviationfuels.com


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