A4A Commends New U.S. Government Investment in Advanced Biofuels

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Jul 02, 2012, 05:05 ET

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today commended the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy, and the Navy for announcing an investment of up to $30 million in a public-private partnership to produce commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels as part of the administration's plan for enabling America's energy security.

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"The new round of government investment strengthens the momentum to turn advanced aviation biofuels into reality, enhance America's energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs," said A4A Vice President, Environmental Affairs Nancy Young. "The government support of a new biorefinery moves us closer to our goal of making the fuels commercially viable and building on the industry's impressive environmental record."

A4A remains committed to doing its part through its ongoing initiatives, including the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), the Strategic Alliance for Alternative Fuels with the U.S. military, and the Farm-to-Fly program with the USDA and Boeing to further the development and deployment of sustainable alternative aviation fuels. Deployment of commercially viable alternative fuels is part of a set of targets collectively established by the aviation industry to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions under a global sectoral approach, including a commitment to carbon-neutral growth from 2020. By investing billions of dollars in fuel-saving aircraft and engines, innovative technologies and advanced avionics, the U.S. airline industry improved its fuel efficiency by 120 percent between 1978 and 2011, resulting in emissions savings equivalent to taking 22 million cars off the road each of those years.

ABOUT A4A

Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg.

SOURCE Airlines for America