Analysis | The FAA reauthorization bill would preserve a future for leaded gas
wapo.st
Also in today’s edition: The Interior Department’s fourth approval of a large offshore wind project, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to launch a new review of ozone standards.

In particular, whatever politicians say, the Republican-controlled House has a rider in the FAA authorization bill which requires airports to continue selling leaded fuel for propeller aircraft forever:

The House version of the bill would require airports that receive federal grants to continue selling the same fuels they sold in 2018 in perpetuity.

While the Democratically-controlled Senate requires a phase-out:

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.”

For context, the FAA approved sale of unleaded fuel for all propeller planes last year, and there are local efforts to ban the sale of leaded fuel in locations where the unleaded fuel is now available

  • silence7@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
    32·
    1 year ago

    The FAA approved an unleaded fuel last year which serves all small aircraft designed to run on leaded fuel. It’s in use locally, and it doesn’t destroy those older aircraft, and lets them stop damaging the brains of kids who are exposed to the lead that drifts down from the planes.

    So no, there isn’t some magic end-of-life for some aircraft due to this. Instead, refiners will start delivering the new fuel so that they don’t lose their market.

    • aelwero@lemmy.world
      4·
      1 year ago

      Oh… I like you :)

      So the Senate is looking to implement a ban that already exists in California and has viable options included already, and the house is doing… what? Trying to help that small group save money maybe?

      I’ll switch sides based on that article you linked. Original one didn’t say jack about a viable alternative already existing, and it seems like that little bit of data changes the whole thing just a tad…