The Future of AvGas
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formally begun the regulatory process required by the Clean Air Act that may ultimately result in standards mandating the industry’s transition from leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) to unleaded aviation gasoline. NBAA is part of a coalition of stakeholders that is seeking an approach that addresses concerns about safety, cost, availability and ease of production. The coalition is committed to finding the best and safest alternative to 100 low lead fuel that supports the mobility and growth of general aviation (GA).
Court: EPA Cannot Be Forced to Issue Report on 100LL Effects
April 3, 2013
Efforts to find a safe and cost-effective alternative to leaded aviation gasoline were bolstered by a March 27 U.S. District Court ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should not be forced to rush the issuance of its report on the public health effects of lead emissions from general aviation aircraft. The ruling came in response to a March 2012 lawsuit filed by environmental group Friends of the Earth that sought to force the EPA to issue an accelerated endangerment finding on GA emissions. Read more about the lawsuit
Congressman Calls for Expanded Use of Existing Unleaded Fuels in Piston Aircraft
November 14, 2012
In a recent letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Michael Huerta, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA-30) noted that while the agency has determined a timetable to find an alternative to 100 low-lead aviation gasoline, little has been done to encourage use of existing unleaded fuels in the interim. "It is essential for the FAA to develop and implement, in the near term, measures to facilitate the use of currently available unleaded fuel in general aviation," Waxman wrote. Read more about the issue
California FBOs Use Surcharge to Fight 100LL Lawsuit
August 31, 2012
Costs associated with an ongoing legal battle over the sale of leaded aviation fuel have resulted
in additional fees for some California pilots. The issue stems from litigation filed by the Center for
Environmental Health claiming environmental damage from the distribution, sale and use of 100LL. The
group filed a lawsuit in October 2011 against airport fixed-base operators throughout the state, as well
as some major oil producers, identifying the companies as being in violation of California's Safe Drinking
Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. The significant costs associated with the legal fight led some FBOs to
independently recoup a portion of those costs, in the form of an added fee for avgas users. Read more
about the legal fight with CEH.
NBAA, Others Call on FAA to Fund Avgas Replacement Efforts
August 4, 2012
A coalition of leading U.S. general aviation (GA) associations, including NBAA, recently called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support additional funding for research into a feasible, drop-in replacement for leaded aviation fuel. The letter, signed by the leaders of five GA advocacy groups, followed an earlier meeting between industry representatives and FAA officials at EAA AirVenture 2012 in Oshkosh, WI, to discuss the results of a UAT ARC final report on possible replacements for 100LL avgas. That report, released June 28, included recommendations on how to expedite development and deployment of an alternative fuel for the existing piston-engine aircraft fleet by 2018. Read more about this issue.
NBAA Joins Coalition Supporting Continued DoD Biofuel Research
June 4, 2012
NBAA has joined 12 other aviation groups in supporting continued research by the Department of Defense on the use of biofuels, even as lawmakers have supported stripping funding for those efforts. In a letter to lawmakers, a coalition of aviation groups protested a recent vote to block the department's participation in programs to construct biofuel refineries, which would severely curtail research into the use of biofuels derived from plants such as algae and sugar cane to supplement the use of petroleum-based jet fuel. "It is our collective belief that the ongoing efforts of the United States military on alternative fuels are helping reduce the cost of those alternatives and will ultimately help reduce our reliance on foreign oil," the groups wrote in their May 23 letter. Read more about the coalition's stance.
GA Coalition: Data Needed Before EPA Rules on Low-Lead Fuel
May 2, 2011
In comments submitted last week to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), NBAA and several other groups called upon the EPA to extend the
agency's timeline for evaluating whether further restrictions on 100
octane Low Lead ("100LL") aviation gas ("avgas") are needed. The agency is
considering further restrictions as part of a review of national ambient
air quality standards (NAAQs). In the comments, NBAA and the other groups
note that 100LL "contains 50-percent less lead than it did when the lead
NAAQs were first introduced," and that "changes to lead monitoring
requirements in 2010 will provide important new data on lead emissions,
but not until at least 2012." The coalition wants EPA to extend its review
timeline so that the new data can be included. Review the comments.
NBAA Welcomes FAA Advisory Committee on Unleaded Fuel
February 4, 2011
NBAA welcomed a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Rulemaking Committee on the proposed phase-out of 100 low lead (100LL) aviation gasoline (avgas), the fuel that powers almost all 150,000 piston-engine aircraft in the U.S. "We're committed to finding an acceptable answer to this challenge," said Eli Cotti, NBAA Director, Technical Operations. "It's a very complex problem, in part because aviation safety cannot be compromised." Learn more about NBAA’s work on the avgas issue.
NBAA Business Aviation Insider: GA Industry United on Avgas Replacement Issue
September 10, 2010
An advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) issued in April by the EPA targeting avgas raised concerns within the GA industry that the agency might mandate a phase-out of the fuel that powers nearly all piston-engine aircraft. With no viable alternative fuel available, more than 150,000 reciprocating-engine aircraft in the U.S. could be grounded. Review the article.
NBAA Flight Plan: GA Community United on Avgas Issue
September 7, 2010The general aviation community has worked in a united front in responding to government officials’ exploration of alternatives for 100 low lead fuel. NBAA is part of a coalition of GA and petroleum industry stakeholders that seeks to address concerns about cost, availability and ease of production. Steve Brown, NBAA senior vice president of operations and administration, and Rob Hackman, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association vice president of government relations, talk about the progress the group is making in this week’s episode of the NBAA Flight Plan podcast.
Listen now.
NBAA, Industry Coalition Comments on Avgas Alternative Search
September 3, 2010On August 27, NBAA and other general aviation associations submitted joint comments to the EPA about the search for an unleaded replacement for 100 low lead fuel. An EPA proposed rulemaking brought NBAA together with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the National Air Transportation Association, the American Petroleum Institute, and the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. Among other findings, the comments note that insufficient data and modeling exist to indicate that lead emissions from GA cause or contribute to any violation of national air quality standards. The comments also reiterate the industry’s long-standing commitment to finding alternatives to leaded fuel. Review the letter.
At AirVenture, GA Groups Discuss AvGas Future
August 2, 2010During a panel discussion of GA group leaders at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA's) 2010 AirVenture Oshkosh event last week, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen told attendees that the GA community is well coordinated and making progress in its efforts to work with government officials on the issue of alternatives for 100 low lead fuel. "It is critically important that we in general aviation continue to work together on this issue, and because of the joint commitment from the community, there has been visible progress made on the matter," Bolen said. NBAA is part of a coalition of stakeholders that are seeking an approach that addresses concerns about cost, availability and ease of production. Learn more about the recent discussion on aviation gas.
NBAA, Others Providing Industry Voice on Avgas Replacement
June 28, 2010NBAA welcomed a recent decision by the EPA granting an extension to the comment period for its advance notice of proposed rulemaking calling for industry input on alternatives to avgas (100 low lead) for aircraft. The extension comes as representatives with NBAA and other general aviation organizations met recently with policymakers in Congress and at the FAA on the issue, and conducted a webinar press briefing for aviation reporters. NBAA is part of a coalition of stakeholders that is pressing for an approach to avgas alternatives that addresses concerns about cost, availability and ease of production. For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/nonroad/aviation/420f10013.htm
NBAA Part of Coalition on Government’s Avgas Planning
June 10, 2010NBAA and a coalition of general aviation leaders, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and others have been responding to the government’s call for eliminating lead in aviation fuel with a coordinated effort to minimize the industry’s emissions footprint while supporting the mobility and growth of general aviation. The coalition recently sent a letter requesting an extension to an EPA request for alternatives to lead in fuel. Review the letter.
NBAA, Others Answer EPA’s Call for Unleaded Fuel Plan
April 26, 2010The EPA last week issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) calling for ideas for transitioning to an unleaded fuel for general aviation avgas. In its ANPR, the EPA acknowledged: "Converting in-use aircraft/engines to operate on unleaded aviation gasoline would be a significant logistical challenge, and in some cases a technical challenge as well." NBAA joined with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aviation Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association and National Air Transportation Association in a unified response to the EPA. Review the industry's response.
