The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved a new temporary fuel pathway for Alternative Jet Fuel.

A fuel-reporting entity approved for use of this pathway may report quantities of fuel to generate credits effective Q2, 2019 and subsequent quarters.

Alternative jet fuel is defined as a drop-in fuel, made from petroleum or non-petroleum sources, which can be blended and used with conventional petroleum jet fuels without the need to modify aircraft engines and existing fuel distribution infrastructure.

Various technologies can be used to produce alternative jet fuel. The proposed Temporary carbon intensities (CIs) in the pathway are applicable only to alternative jet fuel that is produced from a hydrotreating process.

The same feedstocks that are currently used in the production of biomass-based diesel can also be used to produce alternative jet fuel.

CARB staff determined the proposed CI values using the most conservative data from LCFS certified renewable diesel pathways that produce alternative jet fuel as a co-product.

The resulting CI was increased by an additional 10% due to additional energy and chemical inputs for the hydrocracking process, and then an additional 5% of conservative margin, and finally rounded to the nearest five CI points when applicable, consistent with the methodology used to determine existing Temporary CI values listed in the LCFS regulation.

The Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a regulation to reduce the carbon intensity of fuels sold in California, is one of the measures adopted by the California Air Resources Board to reduce greenhouse gases in California.