Republican Randy Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district in the U.S. House, is co-sponsoring a bill called the Farm to Fly Act. It’s designed to spur development of aviation fuel made with a range of plant materials, like corn.
“Saying to the USDA bioenergy programs…have to make sure they’re looking at Sustainable Aviation Fuel for our future, the future of biofuels,” Feenstra says.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel produced with corn-based ethanol already has a 15% lower carbon intensity rating than petroleum-based available fuel. “I’m such a passionate supporter of ethanol, but we need to grow it,” Feenstra says, “and we can grow it by 15 to 20 to 30 billion gallons by having sustainable aviation fuels.”
The aviation industry currently accounts for 10 percent of U-S greenhouse gas emissions. “You can dramatically reduce emissions by using biofuels,” Feenstra says.
Republican Ashley Hinson, who represents Iowa’s second congressional district in the U.S. House, is another co-sponsor of the bill. Hinson says it would provide clarity about how USDA programs will support Sustainable Aviation Fuel development. “It’s designed to say, ‘Hey, we want to use the best science and the best modeling that we can,'” Hinson says.
A little less than 16 million gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel will be produced this year. The Biden Administration has set a goal of producing at least three billion gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in the U-S by 2030. The fuel can be made from corn and other plant materials — and even cooking oil.
(Additional reporting by Mike Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah)