Aug 27, 2023
ROCHESTER, Minn.- The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce released a statement on Monday, Aug. 26 congratulating U.S. Representatives Adam Finstad (R) and Angie Craig (D) for their work with the Congressional Sustainable Aviation Caucus to promote cleaner fuel for commercial airlines and the potential business that support could bring to the state of Minnesota.
It was sentiment that was shared by Richard Syverson, a chairman for the Minnesota Corn Grower Association's Board of Directors.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which ideally reduce carbon emissions for planes by around 50 percent, are often derived from crops like corn or soybeans which could mean expanded business for farms already producing crops for the ethanol industry.
"SAF is kind of an exciting product for us in the ethanol business, we've been promoting our product to the driving public for years and years and still haven't won everybody over to the use in cars, whereas the airlines are coming to us," Syverson said.
The federal government and the state of Minnesota are already incentivizing production and use of SAF through SAF tax credits which reward fuels that reduce carbon emissions in planes by 50 percent or more.
Syverson said with the bipartisan support in the congress he is hoping incentives like this will only increase in scope and length as time goes on.
Brian Werner, executive director of Minnesota Biofuels said that with current incentives, and the U.S. Department of Energy's goal of reducing plane emissions by 50 percent by 2050, it is projected that demand for SAF could be double the demand for ethanol by that time, with private industry hopefully producing 35 billion gallons annually.
Werner said even with continued bipartisan and local support in the state it may take several years to get infrastructure in place for local ethanol producers to get involved in the growing industry, but he said he was optimistic.
"It is going to be a process but it is one we are very excited about because it will produce a lot of new markets," Werner said.
As of 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy says commercial air travel accounted for 2 percent of the world's carbon emissions.
The department hopes that through SAF support programs that it will half that by 2050 and that private industry will be able to support 100 percent of the demand for the biofuel.
Read the original story here.