Port of Portland Identifies Transition to Unleaded Aviation Fuel as a "High Priority"
"It is imperative to move to unleaded fuel...We got rid of it in automobiles decades ago
and so as a country, we are late in the game in trying to get rid of lead in fuel. It's definitively
not good for the environment and certainly not good for people. The Port is committed to a
transition to unleaded aviation fuel as soon as possible."
-Dan Pippenger, Chief Aviation Officer for the Port of Portland
At the 12/13/2023 Port of Portland Board of Commissioners meeting, the Chief Aviation Officer gave a presentation entitled On the Path to Unleaded Aviation Fuel.
A recording of the meeting is available here. The 15 minute section on transitioning to unleaded fuel begins at 1:05:28.
We are grateful to the Port commissioners for supporting this action. Some of their comments appear below.
Commissioner Richelle Luther: "This is a really important issue for the health and safety of the community but also for the Port and the region...we want to get this done."
Commissioner Katy Coba: "We all want to get to the place where we can all say we now have unleaded avgas in general aviation aircraft and celebrate but work from now till then. Anything we can do to provide updated regular information to the community and allow them to present information to us that maybe we are not aware of, will be very helpful."
Commissioner Ketan Sempat: "...we share in that goal of moving as quickly as possible." He also suggested the working group develop a feasible roadmap by which to measure progress.
Commissioner Stuart Strader: "It has been hard for us to articulate how as a commission how supportive we are of this other than just in general terms." He went on to ask about the roadblocks encountered in bringing unleaded GAMI fuel to market and "who can the community at large begin to maybe exert some pressure on whether it be the FAA or other bodies to help precipitate moving in that direction."
Jim Lubischer, Blaine Ackley and Miki Barnes have testified before the Port Board of Commissioners on a frequent basis. They have a long history of advocating for the elimination of leaded aviation fuel. Their public comments are also available at the meeting link.
Dr. Jim Lubischer's testimony appears at the 23:00 minute mark. His written comments are available here. Below is an excerpt.
The only currently FAA certified alternate unleaded fuel which can be used in all fixed-wing airplane engines and their airframes is G100UL, which is also FAA certified for all helicopter piston engines. Certification for helicopter airframes is pending.
G100UL can be mixed with the currently used leaded fuel. That means no new infrastructure is needed. No new storage tanks, trucks, pumps...
G100UL and current leaded avgas can even be mixed together in aircraft tanks...
G100UL production is ramping up and should be available early next year...
Currently there is one unleaded fuel acceptable for safe General Aviation fleet use, that being G100UL.
Miki Barnes's testimony appears at the 27:00 minute mark. A written version is available here. Her testimony focused on how the structure and participants involved in the FAA's Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative are causing unnecessary delays in bringing unleaded aviation fuel to market.
Blaine Ackley's testimony appears at the 34:30 minute mark. A written version is available here. He urged the Port to provide complete and transparent information to the public and elected officials. He also expressed the urgency of working with GAMI in an effort to make unleaded G100UL fuel available.
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