Senator Reverend Warnock Introduces New Bill to Address Aviation Air Pollution, Spur Clean Energy Jobs in Georgia; Pushes for Inclusion in Economic Package

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced new legislation to reduce air pollution, and spur clean energy job growth and innovation across the country. The Aviation Emissions Reduction Opportunity (AERO) Act, co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI) , and Alex Padilla (D-CA)will provide proactive investments to support the production and storage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and other new technologies to reduce harmful air pollution and move the aviation industry toward a net zero-emission, more environmentally-friendly future. The new legislation tackles some of the aviation industry's most pressing environmental concerns by addressing climate change, reducing harmful emissions, fostering low-emission aviation technology innovations, and investing in domestic SAF production.

"Georgia has one of the world's busiest airports and most active aviation industries, so we must help lead the way in greening our planes and protecting our environment for generations to come," said Senator Reverend Warnock "I am proud to introduce this bill to move us closer toward a zero-emission future, and provide additional support to our aviation partners so they can help keep our skies clean. I will continue pushing to ensure any economic legislation that comes out of Washington includes these strong sustainable aviation investments."

The Aviation Emissions Reduction Opportunity (AERO) Act would authorize a new federal grant program to help reduce aviation emissions. Specifically, the bill would provide $1 billion over five years in grants, with 30 percent of grants going to entities focused on developing, demonstrating, or applying low-emission aviation technology, and 70 percent of the funding dedicated to producing, transporting, or storing sustainable aviation fuels. Georgia is a national leader in aviation, and is home to one of the busiest airports in the world, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Senator Warnock's new legislation will specifically benefit several Georgia aviation companies including Delta Air Lines, Gulfstream, and LanzaJet. The bill helps move the needle toward supplying 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel per year by 2030 and 35 billion gallons per year by 2050. Senator Warnock has been working to successfully secure a provision based on his AERO Act in the economic package being debated in Congress, and is fighting to make sure the provision remains in the legislation through on-going negotiations.

Source