Analysis | The FAA reauthorization bill would preserve a future for leaded gas
wapo.st
Also in today’s edition: The Interior Department’s fourth approval of a large offshore wind project, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to launch a new review of ozone standards.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/1604327

In particular, whatever politicans say, the Republican-controlled House has a rider in the FAA authorization bill which requires airports to continue selling leaded fuel for propeller aircraft forever:

The House version of the bill would require airports that receive federal grants to continue selling the same fuels they sold in 2018 in perpetuity.

While the Democratically-controlled Senate requires a phase-out:

The Senate version would require these airports to continue selling the same fuels they sold in 2022, with a sunset date of 2030 or whenever unleaded fuels are “widely available.”

For context, the FAA approved sale of unleaded fuel for all propeller planes last year, and there are local efforts to ban the sale of leaded fuel in locations where the unleaded fuel is now available

    • Dankenstein@beehaw.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      Yes but alternatives like mogas may require physical changes to aircraft in order to make planes that can only use avgas compatible with mogas. Mogas is also not strictly a comparable alternative as it also comes with its own downsides.

      • SkepticElliptic@beehaw.org
        1·
        1 year ago

        The thing is, I don’t have any sympathy because they’ve had half a century or more to consider this issue and nobody did anything. If you bought a plane knowing it requires leaded fuel, then it’s your responsibility to fix it or ground it.