Press Release
ITD Issues Sustainable Aviation Fuels Research Funding to UC Davis Team
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Institute for Transportation Decarbonization Issues Sustainable Aviation Fuels Research Funding to UC Davis Team
UC Davis Team Awarded the First in a Series of Research Grants to Build Upon Decarbonization Research
WASHINGTON (June 5, 2023) — The Institute for Transportation Decarbonization (ITD), a nonprofit research organization that aims to develop a blueprint to decarbonize the nation’s transportation sector, has named Drs. Colin Murphy and Julie Witcover of the University of California-Davis as the recipients of the inaugural grant from the program.
The ITD awarded Murphy and Witcover $20,000 to support their research on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) policy impacts on deployment and emissions.
Murphy and Witcover will undertake policy engagement on their research in conjunction with the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy. Their work with ITD will promote their research conclusions to help decision-makers determine the best approach to build domestic production capabilities and meet the needs of commercial, government, military, and private air travel in the United States.
“Drs. Murphy and Witcover’s contributions to SAF research are well-respected in transportation policy and academia, and the Institute is proud to have them join us to help decarbonize transportation, specifically in the aviation sector,” said Kelly Fleming, ITD senior research fellow and author of the report Pathway to Net-Zero Transportation in the United States: An Exploration of Technologies and Policies.
Further SAF research is needed to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of producing 35 billion gallons of fuel annually by 2050. Currently, the supply is around 16 million gallons per year. Issues in scaling production are partly due to the cost of production and scaling up deployment, among other barriers identified in the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap by the U.S. Department of Energy.
ITD recently opened a second grant opportunity focused on grid readiness for electric vehicle deployment. Prospective Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to send an email of intent to grants@decarbonizetransportation.org by June 16, 2023. All ITD grant opportunities can be found here and will be updated as they are released.
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Founded in 2022, the Institute for Transportation Decarbonization (ITD) is a non-partisan nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) supported by Community Initiatives working to accelerate a 100% greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the United States transportation sector by 2050. ITD focuses on research and analysis of viable decarbonization pathways for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as the freight, aviation, and maritime networks, to prioritize reducing pollution and carbon emissions reductions through the acceleration of clean energy technologies and policies.
Contact: Institute for Transportation Decarbonization, press@decarbonizetransportation.org