Regional Assessment To Outline Biomass Sources For Creating
Renewable Jet Fuel
The Pacific Northwest is pretty green in more ways than one,
and to prove it, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Portland International
Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane
International Airport and Washington State University kicked off a
a strategic initiative Monday to promote aviation biofuel
development in the region. In the first regional assessment of its
kind in the United States, the "Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Northwest" project will look at biomass options within a four-state
area as possible sources for creating renewable jet fuel.
The comprehensive assessment will examine all phases of
developing a sustainable biofuel industry, including biomass
production and harvest, refining, transport infrastructure and
actual use by airlines. It will include an analysis of potential
biomass sources that are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest,
including algae, agriculturally based oilseeds such as camelina,
wood byproducts and others. The project is jointly funded by the
participating parties and is expected to be completed in
approximately six months.
"By transitioning to a more fuel-efficient fleet and adopting
technology to follow more direct flight paths, Alaska Airlines has
made significant strides in minimizing the environmental impact of
our flying in the communities we serve," said Alaska Air Group
Chairman and CEO Bill Ayer. "Through this initiative, we are
joining other key stakeholders in our region to explore the
development of alternatives to jet fuel that could further reduce
our carbon footprint."
"The Pacific Northwest is a global gateway for people, cultures
and commerce and aviation is a vital contributor to that process,"
said Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh. "Developing a
sustainable aviation fuel supply now is a top priority both to
ensure continued economic growth and prosperity at regional levels
and to support the broader aim of achieving carbon-neutral growth
across the industry by 2020."
"The Port of Seattle is committed to finding new ways to
protect the environment while sustaining jobs and economic growth,"
said Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani. "Sustainable biofuels for
aircraft could help reduce Sea-Tac Airport's environmental impact
even further and also create jobs in an emerging industry."
The assessment process will be managed by Climate Solutions, a
Northwest-based environmental nonprofit organization, which will
align the effort to sustainability criteria developed by the
Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. The project objective is to
identify potential pathways and necessary actions to make aviation
biofuel commercially available to airline operators serving the
region.
The project will begin in July with a kickoff meeting, followed
by additional meetings throughout the assessment process. The group
of biomass producers, refiners, airport operators, environmental
and government organizations, airlines, academic representatives
and Boeing will address issues such as scale, commercial viability
and environmental considerations.
"Washington State University is uniquely poised to tackle this
project," said John Gardner, WSU vice president of economic
development and global engagement. "It's critical that
understanding and policy keep pace with the science and technology
as we shape this next era of biofuels that we are convinced will be
sustainable."
Because biomass sources absorb carbon dioxide while growing and
can have higher energy content than fossil-based fuel, their
increased efficiency and use as aviation biofuel could potentially
save millions of tons of aviation greenhouse gas emissions.
Air travel currently generates approximately 2 percent of
man-made carbon emissions, and the industry has set aggressive
goals to lower its carbon footprint, including the use of aviation
biofuel when it becomes available. Today flying is one of the most
efficient forms of travel based on average aircraft load factors
and fuel use per seat-mile. Because the airline industry directly
generates approximately 8 percent of global GDP, it is a critical
factor in regional and domestic economic growth.