The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:
The latest United Nations climate report makes for difficult reading.
The world is likely to pass a dangerous temperature threshold within the next 10 years. This would make climate disasters so extreme that people will not be able to adapt, according to the March 20 report. To avoid this terrible future, nations must transform their economies and immediately transition away from fossil fuels, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
One of the hardest transitions will be in air travel. But a bill in the Legislature would tap into this urgency to kick-start a new industry producing sustainable aviation fuels.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial airplanes and business jets contribute 10 percent of U.S. transportation emissions. “We have to address air travel,” said Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, at a legislative hearing Tuesday. “It is a very significant source of carbon emissions and it’s one that is particularly hard to address.”
Billig sponsored Senate Bill 5447, which offers tax incentives to promote the state’s alternative jet fuel industry.
The B&O tax breaks would go into effect after one or more facilities produce at least 20 million gallons of alternative jet fuel. It is expected to reduce state revenues by $340,000 in the 2025-27 biennium, and $9.3 million from 2027-29.
In 2021, the White House announced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge to meet domestic aviation fuel demand by 2050. That same year, the Legislature reestablished the Sustainable Aviation Biofuels Work Group.
These fuels are made from petroleum and blended with sources such as wood mill waste, algae, corn grain, landfill gases and other sources. They can be used without modifying aircraft engines.
Washington is uniquely well-positioned to participate in this new industry. Beside its many aviation connections, the state hosts several military aviation facilities that have expressed an interest, as well as refinery capacity and academic prowess.
At a recent House hearing, representatives from the machinists union, Amazon and Alaska Airlines spoke in favor.
A government relations person from BP, one of the world’s largest oil companies, also supported the idea, saying it was considering expanding its Cherry Point refinery near Bellingham to include sustainable aviation fuels. In previous hearings opponents said the bill was a giveaway to large processing companies and wouldn’t do enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable aviation fuel is not the long-term solution to avert climate catastrophe. In fact, on Wednesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, convened a hearing to examine advances in research and development supporting the next generation of commercial aircraft.
Cleaner fuel is a vital interim step. Legislators should encourage the growth of this industry and the quick deployment of its products.
