Flying the friendly skies, fueled by trash
[...] it also gives the sprawling airline a way to cut its sizeable greenhouse gas emissions, should the federal government require it.
“This agreement catapults United into a whole new level of commitment to the future of alternative fuels,” said Brett Hart, the airline’s executive vice president and corporate counsel.
In return, Fulcrum gets another major partner to help the small company leap the infamous “valley of death” between product development and full-scale production.
Cathay Pacific Airways invested an undisclosed sum in the company last year and signed a purchase agreement to buy 375 million gallons of Fulcrum’s fuel over 10 years.
After honing its technology at a pilot plant in North Carolina, Fulcrum is about to break ground on its first commercial facility 20 miles east of Reno.
The $200 million plant, backed by a $105 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will produce 10 million gallons of fuel each year and will be located, in Macias’ words, “just down the road” from the Tesla Motors Gigafactory for electric-car batteries.
[...] in 2013, the airline signed an agreement with AltAir Fuels in Southern California to buy at least 15 million gallons of advanced biofuels for use on commercial flights from Los Angeles — another United hub.
The Obama administration announced in June its intent to develop greenhouse gas regulations for airlines, although any such rules would take years to implement.
Angela Foster-Rice, United’s managing director for environmental affairs, said airlines account for roughly 2 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.