Washington State Legislators Introduce Bill Phasing Out Leaded Aviation Fuel
In an effort to reduce public health and environmental impacts from lead, eleven Washington State Representatives introduced HB 1554 - Reducing public health and environmental impacts from lead.
In addition to phasing in restrictions on the use of leaded aviation fuel, the bill also requires the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to, "update its blood lead testing guidance for health care providers to include children living within one kilometer of a general aviation airport among the high-risk populations that DOH recommends for a blood lead test."
The "Brief Summary of Bill" section of the legislation reads as follows
- Phases in a restriction on leaded aviation gas beginning January 1, 2026 at airports on land adjacent to a contaminated site in an overburdened community in Seattle, two years later at airports in other urban growth areas, and in 2030 at other airports in Washington.
- Directs the Department of Ecology (Ecology), in consultation with the Department of Transportation and Department of Health, to develop guidance identifying best management practices for reducing lead exposures from airport operations, with an initial publication by July 1, 2024, and periodic updates beginning in 2026.
- Requires airport operators to submit and implement a plan to minimize lead exposures based on Ecology's guidance and best practices identified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, beginning November 1, 2024, and to develop a plan and budget to finance aircraft fueling infrastructure improvements to allow for the supply of unleaded aviation gasoline on the same timeline as the phase-out of leaded gasoline.
- Directs Ecology to offer technical assistance to airport operators that have not submitted an adequate lead exposure minimization plan or that does not implement its plan, and authorizes Ecology to adopt rules to implement, administer and enforce requirements related to leaded aviation gasoline.
The first reading of the bill took place on 1/24/2023.
For additional details on this legislation:
Unleaded Aviation Fuel Alternatives Now Available
The 2021 National Academy of Sciences (NAS), "Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft," cited in the bill summary offered little hope for viable unleaded fuel alternatives. Since the release of this publication, there have been major new developments in the availability of unleaded gasoline. Thus the study and its recommendations are in need of an expedited review and revision. In September of 2022, the FAA approved General Aviation Modification Inc. (GAMI) fuel for use in all piston-engine aircraft.
The challenge has now shifted away from the research and development of a replacement fuel to manufacturing and distributing G100UL to airports around the country.
According to a 1/17/2023 letter from George Braly, Head of Engineering for GAMI, to EPA Administrator Michael Regan,
"General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAMI) is the only entity that holds a comprehensive FAA approval to produce, sell and deliver to aircraft owner-operators for use in their aircraft, a high octane unleaded aviation gasoline as a complete fleet wide replacement for the existing ASTM D910 100LL (leaded) aviation gasoline that is currently used in all of the high performance spark-ignition piston powered aircraft in the world."
In this same letter he stated:
"G100UL avgas should be relatively easy to deploy, with no changes required to the local airport fuel tanks and delivery systems. By design, G100UL Avgas is completely fungible with 100LL. It can be mixed with 100LL in the local airport tanks and in the fuel tanks in the wings of the aircraft."
Similarly, a 1/9/2023 letter from Swift Fuels CEO, Chris D'Acosta, to the EPA offers an alternative.
"Swift Fuels architected the original FAA (STC/AML) certification program for UL94 unleaded avgas in 2014 and subsequently completed over 7+ years as the sole producer and nationwide provider of the only commercially available unleaded avgas sold across the US, which is now FAA-approved for over 70% of the GA piston-powered fleet."
This is the fuel currently sold at the Reid-Hillview Airport following the ban placed on leaded avgas at this facility on January 1, 2022.
Mr. D'Acosta went on to say,
"Our company currently sells unleaded avgas nationwide, and our plans call for the orderly elimination of 100LL across the US within about 3 years, with or without an EPA mandate."
To view a 2/6/2023 Yakima Herald-Republic article on this topic, see What WA Plans for the Largest Remaining Source of Lead Pollution Threatening Kids.
In light of the serious and potentially irreversible adverse impacts of lead on human health and the environment, every effort should be made to eliminate this toxin as quickly as possible.
| © Oregon Aviation Watch | Contact Us |  Jump to Top |