U.S. House Supports Ongoing Aviation Lead Poisoning
Piston-engine aircraft are responsible for 70% of all airborne lead pollution nationwide. According to EPA estimates (Federal Register, Pg. 62762), between 1930 and 2020, "piston-engine aircraft have consumed approximately 38.6 billion gallons of leaded avgas in the U.S. ..excluding military aircraft use of this fuel, emitting approximately 113,000 tons of lead to the air." Since 2020 an additional 470 tons have been released by the aviation sector every year.
Sadly, the House voted to continue the indefensible policy of subjecting disproportionately impacted children, minority and low wealth communities to a relentless barrage of lead exposure and poisoning for years to come.
Though the 2023 Reauthorization Act provides an opportunity to ban this noxious toxin once and for all, the House version allows private pilots and flight schools to spew lead over impacted communities into perpetuity.
Following are the opening paragraphs from a 8/22/2023 Washington Post analysis, FAA Reauthorization Bill Would Preserve a Future for Leaded Gas.
FAA Reauthorization Bill Would Preserve a Future for Leaded Gas
Analysis by Maxine Joselow with research by Vanessa Montalbano
August 22, 2023 at 8:14 a.m. EDT
Controversial language in a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would effectively require small airports to continue selling leaded gasoline, despite the health hazards of lead, a powerful neurotoxin.
The provisions have sparked a fierce debate among lawmakers, public health advocates, pilots and fuel producers. The debate isn't over whether to ditch leaded aviation gas, but how quickly to do so in light of safety concerns.
The United States began phasing out leaded gas for motor vehicles in the 1970s, and commercial planes and private jets use unleaded fuel. But more than 220,000 smaller planes, known as piston-engine aircraft, still use leaded gas sold at roughly 13,000 small airports around the country...
Environmental and public health advocates say 2030 is too late to protect children living near small airports. They note that lead exposure can seriously damage children's brains and nervous systems, leading to learning and behavioral problems.
The language in the bipartisan FAA bill, which the House overwhelmingly passed last month, prioritizes the status quo over the quick transition activists desire.
- The House version of the bill would require airports that receive federal grants to continue selling the same kinds of fuels they sold in 2018 in perpetuity.
- 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."
To access the entire article click here.
Unleaded Aviation Fuel Approved by FAA
An unleaded fuel alternative, GAMI G100UL, was approved by the FAA in September of 2022. It can be used in all spark ignition piston-engine aircraft. Unfortunately the FAA, EAGLE, and Big Oil are refusing to facilitate the manufacture and distribution of this fuel. EAGLE is an acronym for the FAA's public-private partnership Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions. Its members include deep pocketed aviation lobbyists and the American Petroleum Institute all known for their generous donations to elected officials. A list of their key members is available here.
For a presentation on the development of the GAMI alternative and the roadblocks thrown in the path of wide spread distribution see this July 2023 presentation, The Future of Unleaded Avgas, by George Braly, the Co-Founder of General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI).
A 9/2/2022 AVweb article on the approval of G100UL is available here.
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