Cost and the lack of production facilities are obstacles to wider use of alternative aviation fuels, such as biofuels with a smaller carbon footprint. Image: Scharfsinn/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe “roadmap” produced last fall by agencies involved with carrying out a Biden administration initiative for alternative fuels for aviation lacks performance measures to monitor, evaluate and report the results of their efforts, GAO has said.
That initiative, mainly involving Transportation, Energy and Agriculture, seeks to greatly increase the use of such fuels, which contain renewable and waste feedstocks that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Without performance measures, the agencies are not well positioned to evaluate the effectiveness of federal government actions to meet” that goal, the GAO said.
GAO added that agencies have been funding research into such fuels since 2007 and that while there has been some adoption by the aviation industry, factors including the cost and the lack of production facilities—which in turn are costly to build—are obstacles to wider use.
It said the agencies involved generally agreed that there is a need to better track performance—with the exception of the Energy Department, which said the current plans meet GAO’s recommendations. GAO in turn disagreed and said it considers the recommendation still open.
