By Ann Sobol
Next Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m., the Massachusetts Sierra Club is conducting a webinar on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs, pronounced “safes”). The issue is whether replacing current jet fuel with SAFs can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sufficiently and quickly enough to meet our climate goals.
All of us who would like to get on a plane and go someplace for some reason important to us would like to think there’s some fix to deal with the huge amount of greenhouse gas emitted by jet planes. But is there? The Healey administration and Massport seem to be pinning their hopes on SAFs. Maybe it’s fairer to say they’re looking into it.
Under state law, Massachusetts has set goals of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Every sector of the economy is expected to make reductions in GHG emissions. The transportation sector, which includes aviation, produces the largest amount of GHG — about 40% of the state’s total.
In January 2023, on her first day in office, Gov. Healey appointed Melissa Hoffer as her climate chief. In October 2023, Hoffer set out recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding aviation, she recommended developing a plan to use alternative fuels and to replace short-hop flights where rail is an alternative.
In the March 2024 Massachusetts Priority Climate Action Plan, Hoffer and Monica Tibbets-Nutt (Healey’s secretary of transportation) set out specific goals for meeting statutory emissions reductions. The transportation section of the plan focuses on reducing emissions from cars and trucks. In 2035, Massachusetts will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles and already supports the transition to electric vehicles through rebates, tax credits, and grants. But there is no element of the Priority Climate Action Plan pertaining to aviation.
In August 2024, the Massport Board appointed Rich Davey as its new chief executive officer. Consistent with the Healey administration’s focus on SAFs, the new CEO has stated he will examine the use of SAFs in reducing aviation emissions. In November, Gov. Healey signed into law an environmental bill which amended enabling legislation dating from the 1950s under which Massport has focused primarily on financial return with minimal regard to the GHG emissions of jet traffic out of the airports it administers (Logan, Hanscom, and Worcester). The legislative amendments require Massport to exercise its powers to promote commerce, economic prosperity, safety, security, environmental protection and resilience, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sierra Club webinar features three speakers highly qualified to evaluate whether SAFs can solve the problem of aviation emissions. For more information, see the SPJE website (Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere), which includes a link to register for the webinar.
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