US Airlines Urge Treasury to Recognize GREET Model for SAF Credits

Several major US airlines, including Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska, American, Hawaiian, and United, have collectively sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen advocating for a regulatory change in favor of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from corn-based ethanol.

The airlines and aviation companies, alongside ethanol producers like Poet and Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., are supporting the use of the Department of Energy’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model in addition to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) model. This request aims to qualify corn-based ethanol SAF for federal subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s climate law.

The letter emphasizes the need for additional models to demonstrate the environmental benefits of SAF derived from corn-based ethanol. The signatories believe that the GREET model is more likely than the ICAO model to prove the necessary climate benefits for securing subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act.

However, there are concerns from environmental groups that the GREET model might underestimate the emissions associated with ethanol, especially those related to land clearing for crop cultivation. The collective push from these airlines and the ethanol industry highlights the ongoing effort to decarbonize aviation and stimulate clean energy innovation and jobs in the United States

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, tradingview.com, Visiting reuters.com