Discussion
Of the 687,648,571 gallons of Jet-A fuel pumped in 2024, no sustainable aviation fuel was used at Sea-Tac. Or 2023. The 2018 goals for both Alaska and Delta were 10% utilization by 2030. Even that goal was never possible and will remain impossible for at least another decade. Even if obtainable, that would provide no meaningful reductions in pollution over Sea-Tac Airport. The estimated cost to the State will be over $9,000,000 by 2027 and will reduce sales tax revenue by another $1,4 million. SAF is greenwashing, at public expense.Notes
A research report conducted by the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences analyzing the regional air quality benefits of sustainable aviation fuel use at Sea-Tac Airport during 2024 under SB5447.
Executive Summary
This is the second annual University of Washington report mandated under SB 5447. The work presented here advances this mandate by reporting on current fuel usage at Seattle Tacoma International Airport and by providing new methods and describing new regional air monitoring systems that directly support future evaluations of regional air quality and community health benefits associated with sustainable aviation fuel use.
For the calendar year 2024, the Port of Seattle reported that 687,648,571 gallons of conventional petroleum Jet A were uplifted at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. No sustainable aviation fuels were used during this period. Although SAF was not deployed due to production challenges, this report provides the technical basis needed to assess the regional co-benefits of future SAF adoption. The work introduces methods for estimating the regional impact of reductions in aviation-related ultrafine particles and a reproducible health impact assessment that integrates demographic data, dispersion modeling, ground measurements, and open-source tools to quantify mortality reductions associated with reduced aviation emissions.
Regional air monitoring capacity has now expanded to support this work. Two new air quality monitoring stations operate north and south of the airport through regional and federal collaboration. These stations measure size resolved particle number concentrations and are positioned to characterize LTO emissions as well as potential changes associated with fuel use and other emission control strategies. Together, they form the first
coordinated regional system specifically designed to observe real world variation in ultrafine particle exposures that may result from sustainable aviation fuel adoption.
The report also includes a review of current scientific literature describing how sustainable aviation fuels influence emissions that affect community exposures. These scientific efforts were paired with stakeholder engagement activities, including advisory group discussions and an on-site monitoring visit, which connected technical work with community priorities related to emissions, monitoring needs, and health implications. These contributions establish a foundation for regional impact evaluation and position Washington state as a national leader in assessing community level air quality and health implications of sustainable aviation fuels.