Taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize billionaires’ jet fuel

Can you fly in your private jet and be green? The aviation industry and its lobbyists hope to make it seem that way.

As celebrities and billionaires rack up bad press for the carbon footprints of their private jets, the industry’s lobby is hyping so-called “sustainable aviation fuels,” or SAFs, as their answer to their oversized role in the climate crisis. And they want taxpayers to chip in.

Thanks to the aviation and ethanol lobby, some money is already flowing. Congress recently passed an FAA Reauthorization bill that includes a growing investment in alternative jet fuels. The Treasury Department recently issued guidelines for a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit, a provision included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Before taxpayers shell out any more, we should act like smart grocery shoppers who come across “all-natural” labels on food products: We need to look closely at the ingredients.

In a new report we co-authored, “Greenwashing the Skies,” we conclude there is no realistic or scalable alternative to kerosene-based fuels to meet aviation demands, let alone future growth projections.

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