Cantwell Announces Research Grant to WSU to Build Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chains

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that Washington State University (WSU) is one of five universities selected to receive a research grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment (ASCENT), a program Cantwell has long advocated for. This grant will be used to help build out the sustainable aviation fuel supply chain across the county.

"Sustainable aviation fuels are essential to the continued growth of the aviation sector and the jobs the industry supports across Washington state. This grant will enable WSU to leverage their leadership in agriculture research to diversify our nation's fuels sources," said Senator Cantwell.

The research supported by these grants will concentrate on identifying regional feedstock that can become sustainable aviation fuel using the region's existing infrastructure, creating a dependable supply within reach of airport demand. For WSU, a $412,000 grant will be used to evaluate how existing pulp and paper, sugarcane mills, dry corn ethanol plants, and petroleum refineries could be used to produce jet fuel from various crops, waste materials, and forest harvests. The funding will help to bolster the national liquid fuel supply chain and support U.S. job growth.

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