Statement from Third Way Senior Director for Climate and Energy Ryan Fitzpatrick on Updates to the Department of Energy’s GREET Model

WASHINGTON—Third Way Senior Director for the Climate and Energy Program Ryan Fitzpatrick issued the following statement on the Department of Energy’s recent updates to the GREET model, which will be used to calculate the carbon intensity of a fuel to qualify for the Section 40B Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA):

“The goal of the SAF Credit is to incentivize production of lower carbon alternatives to conventional jet fuel and help build the foundation for a strong, domestic SAF market. With these updates to the GREET model, the Biden Administration is giving the SAF industry the clarity it needs to take advantage of this credit and make the investments to scale-up production.

“These updates acknowledge the key role that certain emissions reduction activities like carbon capture and storage, climate-smart agriculture practices, and renewable electricity play in lowering a fuel’s carbon intensity, while also more accurately accounting for the very real concerns associated with indirect emissions from feedstock production.

“While some may view this announcement as being too stringent or too lenient for crop-based fuels, we believe that it strikes the right balance between getting the science right and incentivizing lower carbon fuel production with the feedstocks and production processes that we have available today.

“We commend the Biden Administration for its pragmatic approach to tackling climate change and delivering on its promise to make clean energy more affordable and accessible for consumers across the United States.”