From trash to takeoff: Virginia eyes sustainable fuel future for aviation

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury
June 5, 2025

As President Donald Trump’s administration scales back national climate initiatives, local leaders in the Washington Metropolitan region are stepping up to push for cleaner skies — with jet fuel made from trash, crops and forest waste.

At the heart of the push is Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF, a biofuel derived from sources like corn grain, municipal solid waste, wet waste, and agricultural residues. Though not yet widely used, SAF is gaining traction thanks to its lower emissions and growing interest from regional policymakers.

The aviation industry has yet to fully embrace the alternative fuel, largely due to the high cost of production and limited infrastructure for storage costs. But with international interest rising and U.S. climate policies shifting, local leaders remain hopeful that a wider transition is on the horizon.

In the first three quarters of 2024, U.S. production of SAF reached 30 million gallons — a sharp increase of just five million in 2021, according to recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“I’m very optimistic about its ability to survive because it goes straight to the farmers, and it is really about American-made products,” said Ed Hubbard, general counsel and vice president of governmental affairs for the Renewable Fuels Association. “If you can fall within the framework of ‘American energy, greatness and dominance,’ I think that those are the aspects that survive throughout the process.”

Hubbard warned that if the Trump administration withdraws incentives for SAF, it would contradict its own America First Investment Policy — a doctrine designed to pressure companies into manufacturing domestically instead of overseas.

On Tuesday, Hubbard joined a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., focused on raising awareness about SAF. The event highlighted the formation of a working group, a directory of aviation-related associations, and plans for a traveling presentation aimed at engaging government and aviation leaders.

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The panel was hosted by the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC), which works to promote affordable, local transportation fuels, energy-efficient mobility systems, and other fuel-saving practices. 

The federal government developed a strategy to encourage the commercial-scale production of SAF through a plan called the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge.

Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the initiative set primary goals to reduce costs, bolster energy security, and significantly increase the production and use of SAF. Key targets include achieving a 50% reduction in life cycle emissions compared to traditional fuels and meeting production milestones of three billion gallons annually by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050 — enough to meet all domestic demand.

Given the significant impact of jet travel on the environment, advocates hope SAF can help mitigate the pollution it causes. In 2022, aviation accounted for 2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), and that share is expected to grow. The agency noted that aviation has experienced faster growth in recent decades than rail, road, and shipping.

“They pollute the environment, and the closer you live to those environments, the more negative it is on public health,” said Antoine Thompson, CEO and executive director for GWRCCC.

Data provided by GWRCCC at Tuesday’s meeting showed a combined 622 private and public airports between Maryland and Virginia.

Virginia began considering sustainability strategies at its airports earlier than other states. The commonwealth has a total of 406 public and private airports, 400 of which are privately owned.

In July 2016, the Virginia Department of Aviation (VDOA) commissioned the Virginia Airports Sustainability Management Plan — a voluntary guide for Virginia’s public airports to define their own sustainability priorities and needs.

Rusty Harrington, chief planner with VDOA, was one of the contributors to the plan. 

“We have so many people that are working in parallel, and (the meeting) has been an opportunity for us to see what everyone else is working on and find some mutual common ground opportunities,” Harrington said.

Beyond SAF, Harrington noted that researchers also exploring advancements in engine technology, as well as the use of using electrification and hydrogen resources.

As for Virginia’s role in environmental stewardship, Harrington said the commonwealth is taking it very seriously.

“We want to protect the resources that we have, and we want to lessen our impacts in almost every activity we do — from design, construction, operation, maintenance of our airports — with the goal of securing and balancing the economic, the environmental and the social impacts of any of our actions,” Harrington said. “We like to think we’re doing a very good job of that because it’s inherent in whatever we do in airport development.”

The coalition has not yet set a date for a future meeting.

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