ASHLAND – Nebraska is poised to become a national leader in aviation fuels made from renewable energy sources like corn and soybeans, but Congressman Mike Flood said there is work ahead.

He said the Nebraska Legislature’s move in 2021 to enable ethanol plants to sequester and store carbon dioxide has given the state an advantage.

 

Flood: “We woke up on third base on the sustainable aviation issue. There are states that aren’t to first base. We’ve got this pipeline running across Nebraska that puts us in the driver’s seat, now we just need to take advantage of it and deliver.”

Dawn Caldwell of conference host Renewable Fuels Nebraska said the ability to capture and store carbon dioxide is a priority for potential airline customers.

Caldwell: “Nebraska could be a great place for making sustainable aviation fuel, for putting a facility here to make the product. We have a few things in our favor. One, we have a state leadership that’s very much in favor of expanding  our value-added opportunities for our grains --  and that would be sustainable aviation fuel. Two, we have the feedstock.”

Flood said although the Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Donald Trump reduced incentives for sustainable aviation fuels from $1.75 to $1 a gallon, it did extend incentives for the clean fuel until 2029.

 

Flood: “There’s more work to be done, but I think as this nascent opportunity grows there’s going to be growth in sustainable aviation sales and we in Nebraska should lead the way.”

Conference speakers noted the role government energy incentives had in boosting the ethanol industry at the turn of the century and said sustainable aviation fuel could be the development that supports the next generation of Nebraska agriculture.

 

 

Caldwell: “Does Nebraska make sense, absolutely. Can we get there with our state legislation incentives, with whatever federal incentives may come along  and garner that major private investment that is necessary to put the business in Nebraska? That up for the companies to go find, but we believe we’re in a really good spot.”

Flood said the conference comes at the dawn of a new market for Nebraska ag products.

Flood: “What I wanted to have happen today is for a farmer to leave here and the corn growers to leave here and say ‘when we talk ethanol we need to talk SAF. When we talk SAF we need to talk biofuels. We are and can be what Iowa is to ethanol in sustainable aviation fuel.”

Flood credited Tallgrass for its ability to engage Nebraskans to gain support for converting a natural gas pipeline into a Co2 pipeline.