Washington state begins rulemaking to promote SAF usage

Washington State Department of Ecology announced its plans to complete rulemaking process by end of 2024 to promote the production and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in the state.

The rulemaking aims to establish SAF pathways to enable producers to generate credits under the State’s Clean Fuels Standards (CFS) program. Ecology also intends to make several other regulatory changes, including to book-and-claim accounting and third-party verification requirements.

Washington enacted the CFS in 2021, requiring fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon intensity of certain transportation fuels to 20% below 2017 levels by 2034.

The rulemaking will consider additional changes to strengthen and streamline the CFS program, including establishment requirements for a third-party verification program for fuel pathway applications and data reports submitted by program participants.

In addition, it will also update requirements to further encourage the production of SAF, amend and refine the compliance and enforcement process for the CFS and update book-and-chain accounting requirements for electricity and biomethane.

As per the rulemaking details shared by the State, the Washington State Department of Ecology will use Washington-modified  greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation model (WA-GREET) 3.0 (November 28, 2022) or another model that is equivalent or superior to WA-GREET 3.0.

WA-GREET 3.0 was derived from California air resources board CA-GREET 3.0 model.

The US government also recently announced the federal tax credits for the ethanol-to-SAF producers under the Inflation Reduction Act.