Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs)
Below you’ll find:
November 5, 2025 Legislators’ Briefing
October 14, 2025 Rally
May 14, 2025 Testimony on SAF Bill
January 8, 2025 SAF Webinar
Articles & Reports on SAFs
11/5/25 Legislators’ Briefing on new SAF report by IPS with MA-specific findings
Fifty legislators and staffers attended a briefing on an important new report published by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS): “Barriers to Implementing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Massachusetts” at which climate champion Senator Mike Barrett made salient remarks, setting the political context in which the issue of so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuels in Massachusetts is playing out. For Senator Barrett’s remarks and the presentation by co-authors Chuck Collins and Neil Rasmussen, see this YouTube video.
The most severe and unsolved problem with SAF is that its use increases CO2 emissions.
CO2 emissions are five times lower if we direct new clean electricity to the grid to displace natural gas, instead of using it to create e-fuel SAF.
To displace current fossil jet fuel use with e-fuel in Massachusetts would require annual subsidies that are 2 to 12 times the entire annual Massachusetts Transportation budget of $1.37 billion.
The magnitude of electrical power required to produce e-fuel to meet Massachusetts aviation requirements is much more than the Commonwealth generates today.
Related links:
10-14-25 IPS SAF Report – Key Findings
11-5-25 IPS SAF Briefing YouTube Video
SPJE October 14th 2025 State House Rally
Calling out SAFs as an ineffective solution for reducing aviation emissions
Documents delivered to State House lawmakers on October 14th:
Sign-On Letter urging the Governor & State Legislators to reject SAF policy & subsidies - Signed by over 50 organizations
Report by the Institute for Policy Studies released on 10/13/25
“Barriers to Implementing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Massachusetts”The Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES)’s letter to Governor Healey delivered on 10/9/25
Legislators' Handout - Including listing and excerpts from the three documents above
Read more about the event, see photos, and more here!
Webinar-related Resources:
Panelists’ Publications
Alternatives to Jet Fuels: Promising Solution or Industry Hype? – May 2024, co-author Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies
Under New Guidance, 'Sustainable' Aviation Fuel in the US Could Be Anything But, May 9, 2024 By Dan Lashof and Audrey Denvir World Resources Institute
The potential for private luxury jets with low climate impact, Jan 1, 2024 – white paper by Neil Rasmussen
Related CBS Coverage:
How are airports ‘greenwashing’ their reputations? ∙ Interview with panelist Chuck Collins, CBS News Saturday Morning ∙ 11/30/24
click here to expand flyer.
click here to expand flyer.
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS:
CAN THEY MEET 2050 CLIMATE GOALS
Webinar for Policymakers and the Public
January 8, 2025
Recent News on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs)
The airline industry’s dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures • Reuters • Aug 11, 2025
The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions by Michael Grunwald • May 27, 2025, Yale publication
“The U.S. agriculture lobby has long promoted ethanol for cars. If President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ becomes law, the industry would be given tax credits for producing crop-based fuel for planes, too, despite evidence it would spur deforestation and increase emissions.”
Answering Questions about SAF Benefits • Save Our Heritage, May 25, 2025
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are claimed to reduce jet CO2 emissions by up to 80%. Yet it is also argued that SAFs are not a “clean” aviation solution. How can these contradictory claims be reconciled?
Billionaires Polluting Massachusetts at Hanscom Field • Jim & Margery Show, GBH • May 6, 2025
Chuck Collins from the Institute for Policy Studies discusses the uber-wealthy forces trying to expand Bedford’s Hanscom Field to accommodate more fossil-fueled private jets. Video & Audio access below.
VIDEO Access at the two-hour & 5-minute mark here
AUDIO Access at 20-minute mark here
SPJE Delivers Powerful Testimony on SAFs
Our SAF Analysis Team made a significant impact at the May 14th Joint Committee hearing!
On Tuesday, May 14th, members of the SPJE Coalition delivered compelling testimony to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (TUE) regarding bills S.2251 and H.3576, "An Act Relative to the Just Transition to Clean Energy."
Our experts clearly articulated the concerns with these bills' presumption that Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) are clean, green, and readily available alternatives to conventional jet fuel - a misconception that needs correction as policymakers consider these important pieces of legislation.
Help amplify our message! Massachusetts residents can make their voices heard by submitting letters to the committee by the May 21st, 5pm deadline.
Watch our testimony starting at 1:33:15 - our panel presentation lasts about 12 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of insightful Q&A with committee members.
Take Action: Contact info@spje.org for sample letters and detailed instructions on how to submit your comments to the committee and help correct misconceptions about SAFs.
Articles & Reports on SAFs
LTE: Response to: “We can boost aviation fuel independence” ∙ Boston Herald ∙ Lara Sullivan ∙ 4/20/2025
Massport CEO might want to think again about ‘green’ airline fuel ∙ Letters to the Editor from SPJE members, Boston Globe ∙ 11/11/24
Out of 1,500 global climate policies, only 63 have really worked. That’s where green spin has got us ∙ George Monbiot ∙ The Guardian ∙ 9/12/24
UK SAF Mandate: Fueling Demand ∙ Huntington AK ∙ 7/29/24
Analysis: Benefits of UK ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ will be wiped out by rising demand ∙ Josh Gabbatiss ∙ Carbon Brief ∙ 5/15/24
‘Magical thinking’: hopes for sustainable jet fuel not realistic, report finds ∙ The Guardian ∙ 5/14/24
Why new ethanol aviation fuel tax subsidies aren’t a clear climate win ∙ James Temple ∙ Technology Review ∙ 5/1/24
The Government’s SAF mandate aims to boost the use of alternative fuels, but making jet fuel from waste won’t solve the aviation emissions problem ∙ Aviation Environment Federation ∙ 4/25/24
Lufthansa Says Green Fuel Would Eat Up Half German Electricity ∙ Bloomberg ∙ 9/25/23
Aviation’s climate conundrum: More than sustainable fuels needed ∙ Sean Mowbray ∙ Global Bioenergy ∙ 7/19/23
A Realistic Path to Net-Zero Emissions for Commercial Aviation ∙ Jérémie Danicourt, Jim Harris, Adam Papania, and Austin Kim ∙ Bain ∙ 6/5/23
Britain is boiling – and the government wants to dramatically expand UK aviation ∙ Leo Murray ∙ The Guardian ∙ 7/19/22
Opinion: Inconvenient Truths Behind Sustainable Aviation Fuel ∙ Jim Harris ∙ Aviation Week ∙ 7/1/22
Aviation Could Consume a quarter of 1.5C carbon budget by 2050 ∙ Carbon Brief ∙ 8/8/16