Aviation View Magazine | Volume 1, Issue 4

5 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 O p e n i n g L i n e s FAA AWARDS RESEARCH GRANTS TO BUILD SUSTAINABLE AVIATIO SUPPLY CHAINS T he U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is tapping some of the nation’s top research institutions to build sustainable aviation fuel supply chains in different regions across the United States. More than $1.4 million will go to five universities to undertake the research. Since 2014, the FAA has invested more than $13 million in the effort being conducted by ASCENT , the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment. “Sustainable aviation fuels are a critical part of meeting our climate goals for aviation, and we want to help that industry grow and create jobs right here in the U.S.,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These funds will help build regional supply chains so that communities across our country - many of them rural - feel the economic benefits of producing sustainable aviation fuel.” The universities’ research concentrates on identifying regional feedstock that can become sustainable aviation fuel using the region’s existing infrastructure, creating a dependable supply within reach of airport demand. Researchers have and continue to look at other barriers that need to be eliminated to drive down the cost of sustainable aviation fuel. The investment builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement this September of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Grand Challenge , a government-wide initiative designed to catalyze the production of at least