US House reps launch bipartisan sustainable aviation caucus

U.S. Representatives Sharice Davids and Dusty Johnson have joined forces to launch a new Congressional Sustainable Aviation Caucus (CSAC) with the aim of building a bipartisan coalition to help the aviation industry reach its decarbonization goals while strengthening American leadership in the sector.

Like the industry itself, Davids, Democrat of Kansas, and Johnson, Republican of South Dakota, have a particular interest in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is widely seen as the most viable path for approaching net-zero aviation emissions by 2050. However, the caucus’s areas of interest also extend to improvements in aircraft and engine design, new forms of propulsion and efficiencies in air traffic management — potential draws for a diverse group of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, each with a stake in their outcome.

The caucus currently has four members evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but is expected to grow following its official launch today, Reps. Davids and Johnson told The Air Current in two separate one-on-one interviews. It will join a number of aviation and sustainability-focused caucuses that reflect the Hill’s increasing interest in these topics, including the Advanced Air Mobility Caucus, the  Sustainability Caucus, and the larger Aviation and Aerospace Caucus.

According to Johnson, SAF is the “real brass ring” in sustainable aviation at present, with significant implications for the nation’s economy and role on the global stage. “The aviation fuel market is 200 billion gallons a year. If we can assume that in the intermediate term, half of that market could be sustainable aviation fuel, then a 100-billion gallon market is absolutely the kind of thing that we want to make sure that America is a leader in and that we are not ceding that leadership to China or others,” he  said in an interview with TAC.

According to the International Air Transport Association, about 49 million gallons (nearly 1.9 billion liters) of SAF are expected to be produced this year, accounting for about 0.53% of aviation’s fuel need, although that number, if achieved, is triple what was produced in 2023.  Both Johnson and Davids sit on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee, giving them a natural interest in SAF as a bridge between the aviation and agriculture industries. In her own interview with TAC, Davids pointed to a new SAF refinery now under construction in Liberal, Kansas in partnership with Southwest Airlines, Conestoga Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab that plans to use corn stover — a form of agricultural residue — as its primary feedstock.

The Agriculture Committee recently completed markup on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (HR 8467), which is effectively the “reauthorization” bill for the nation’s food and farm industry. That bill includes several provisions for SAF, making it eligible for United States Department of Agriculture grant programs and generally expanding government investment into feedstock production.

As TAC has previously reported, however, the politics of biofuels including ethanol are dominated by disagreement over how to properly account for their life-cycle emissions. At the end of May, Reuters  reported that most ethanol-based SAF will not qualify for subsidies under a new pilot program by the Biden Administration that establishes interim standards for a $1.25/gallon production tax credit created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Johnson told TAC that he wouldn’t be surprised if tax policy is one area the caucus looks at, noting that “there are literally dozens of ways in which our tax policy not uncommonly tries to drive private sector investment in the American energy space.” SAF aside, the charter for the new caucus espouses an interest in more efficient operations through continued progress in air traffic management plus “technological improvements to aircraft configuration, aerodynamics, systems, materials, and engine technologies ... as well as revolutionary innovations like hybrid, electric, and hydrogen-powered aircraft.” 

Aircraft design is of particular interest to Davids, whose home state is a hub for aircraft manufacturing. 

“Kansas has such a strong history already of aviation, of leadership in aviation, whether it’s manufacturing or some of the technology advancements,” she said, adding that she expects the caucus “will be looking at the ways that ... the companies that are developing the technologies that are going to  help reduce down the carbon footprint and make the aviation industry as a whole, more resilient.”

The charter places a strong emphasis on education, describing the caucus as “a forum for keeping abreast of these initiatives and assessing the policy, process, and resources to further environmental gains, fuel supply resiliency, and national security.” The caucus plans to bring in experts to brief members on relevant topics, starting with NASA representatives who will outline some of the technological advancements enabling progress toward sustainable flight.