WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2013 – The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) yesterday joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Transportation, and coalition sponsors of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) in signing a joint resolution launching "FARM to FLY 2.0", an initiative to further the development of bio-Jet Fuel for aviation in the United States.  This initiative furthers the global business aviation manufacturing and operating community’s commitment to mitigate its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet specific aspirational milestones by 2020 and 2050.

Meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from aviation depend on a four-pillar strategy: technology, infrastructure and operational improvements, alternative fuels, and market based measures.  Of the four pillars, alternative fuels hold the greatest promise for significant and immediate emissions reductions.  This initiative highlights the importance of the public sector’s involvement as a catalyst to help demonstrate that sustainable biofuels for aviation can be developed from a variety of feedstocks without disrupting the food supply or otherwise distorting markets.  This initiative also creates valuable synergies between USDA’s rural development programs and the general aviation industry’s close links to the thousands of communities across the U.S. that depend on general aviation for air links.

"Two drop-in bio-Jet Fuel production pathways exist today, and several more are in the process of being approved; what we need is development of an abundant and effective supply chain that can enable the successful commercialization of such biofuels," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce.  "GAMA and its member companies are committed through "FARM to FLY 2.0" to help develop strategic public-private partnerships, pilot programs and other initiatives to help aviation meet its climate change commitments.  We commend Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack and Secretary LaHood for their vision and leadership and are proud to be associated with this effort,” Bunce added.

The USDA press release can be accessed online at:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=LATEST_RELEASES

Note: The global business aviation commitments are: 1. Carbon-neutral growth from 2020; 2. An improvement in fuel efficiency of an average of 2 percent per year from today until 2020; and, 3. A reduction in total net carbon emissions of 50 percent by 2050 relative to 2005.