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Committee pares back sustainable aviation fuel bill to a 10% by 2030 goal after federal-preemption concerns
Summary
Lawmakers trimmed a proposal requiring state-wide sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption after airlines and the attorney general raised preemption and feasibility concerns; the committee retained a 10% by 2030 aspirational target and removed incentive and appropriation language.
The House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee on Feb. 4 narrowed a bill aimed at accelerating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use, deleting incentive provisions and keeping a single goal: 10% SAF use by 2030 for intrastate flights.
Deputy Attorney General Margie Lau told the committee in written comments the Office of the Attorney General had raised concerns about federal preemption under the Clean Air Act for state-level standards that affect aircraft emissions. "We have provided our written comments concerning federal preemption of the provisions under this bill, under the Federal Clean Air Act," Lau said.
Airlines opposed a mandatory early requirement. Jacob Bakke, representing Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, urged voluntary, incentive-based approaches and said the current SAF supply chain and regulatory framework limit how quickly airlines could blend high SAF percentages. "SAF is a drop-in fuel, but the current standard is that for SAF, it would require up to a 50% mix," Bakke told the committee, adding that federal rules currently limit 100% blends.
The committee removed appropriation language and incentive provisions and added a consultation requirement with the Hawaii State Energy Office for rulemaking. Committee members stressed coordination with federal law and limited the bill to a 10% target for 2030. The committee voted to pass the bill with those amendments (chair and vice chair aye; committee recorded no dissent).
