The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a total of US$292 million in funding for projects to help achieve America’s goal of net-zero emissions from aviation by 2050 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, a key pillar of "Bidenomics."
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The FAA application window which opened on September 25, 2023, is for US$245 million in Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) infrastructure projects and US$47 million in low-emission aviation technology projects.
The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—the largest climate investment in history—which has invested billions of dollars to reduce the nation’s carbon emissions and help aviation reach net zero by 2050.
We have a need for speed in this race, and thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we have more resources than ever before to accelerate this critical work. We look forward to receiving applications that can help accelerate the use of high-integrity SAF and the development of powerful low-emission aviation technologies, said Laurence Wildgoose, FAA Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and Environment.
The new Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST)-SAF grants will focus on producing, transporting, and blending sustainable aviation fuel. These projects will build up regional SAF supply chains and increase SAF use.
FAST-Tech funds will accelerate aviation technology projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve aircraft fuel efficiency, and increase the usage of sustainable aviation fuel.
Eligible entities for the program are broad. They include airports, air carriers, universities, aviation and aerospace companies, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations.
The competitive grant process opened on September 25, 2023, and the FAA’s target for the first round of grant awards is mid-2024.
In its Aviation Climate Action Plan, the United States set a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the US aviation sector by 2050.
To achieve it, among other efforts, the FAA:
- Has awarded over US$100 million to develop and implement airplane technologies that reduce fuel, emissions, and noise;
- Has invested more than US$130 million in university research to help improve our understanding of the impacts of aviation on the environment and develop cost-effective solutions to mitigate them;
- Is deploying software allowing airplanes to roll right to the runway and take off, which reduces fuel burn, emissions, and taxi time;
- Has awarded US$327 million to electrify airport gate equipment and vehicles.
