Washington State has tried and failed to implement a low-carbon fuel standard to tackle high transportation emissions—but as climate change heats up, a broad coalition is pushing for one this year to clean up the air as well as support the local biofuels industry, reports the Seattle Times.
The details: Speaking at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in advance of Washington State's legislative session starting today, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) called for passage of a clean fuel standard, which passed the state house last year but is stalled in the state senate, explains the newspaper.
But the proposal exempts some of the biggest users of fossil fuels, including aviation, military vehicles, railroads, and boats—though they choose to opt in and get credits for using, for example, sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, made from biofuels.
Why it matters: Transportation emissions represent 45% of emissions statewide, with aviation and jet fuel accounting for 9.5% of emissions.
Alaska Airlines knows what’s up. The airline joins a broad coalition in support of the proposal and wants to opt-in to using more biofuels—but says there isn’t local biofuels supply to meet the demand.
This is why a low-carbon fuel standard is important. Clean fuel programs are a proven driver in decarbonizing transportation. A similar standard in California, for example, prevented more than 50 million tons of carbon pollution from being emitted and increased the clean fuels market by $2.8 billion, benefitting largely rural communities where feedstocks are grown and biofuels are produced, as we’ve explained.
Working with the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Producers Group and the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition (LCFC), this year, we’re championing the use and growth of the American biofuels industry and biotech’s solutions for tackling climate change.
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