Washington, May 14, 2020 -
Washington, D.C. – Alaskan Congressman Don Young sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding a proposed rule which would ban the use of leaded fuel in all piston engine aircraft in the United States. Currently, there is no suitable replacement for leaded aviation gasoline.
"Once again the EPA is trying to put the cart before the horse," said Rep. Don Young. "This premature ban on leaded fuel would kill rural communities in Alaska and across the United States. Many of these isolated communities depend on single or twin piston aircraft to provide them with food and other supplies. These communities cannot afford to pay increased shipping costs from new planes or new retrofitted engines as the EPA has suggested.
"Keep in mind that this whole idea is in response to a petition filed by an extreme environmental group called ‘Friends of the Earth.’ Like ‘Greenpeace’ and ‘Defenders of Wildlife, ‘Friends of the Earth’ is no friend of mine and they’re certainly no friend of Alaska."
According to the FAA, scheduled service single and twin piston engine aircraft made almost 200,000 departures in 2009 throughout Alaska. Of the 157 communities nationwide receiving a subsidy under the Essential Air Service program, 49 are served by piston engine aircraft, with 36 of those communities in Alaska.
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