Leaded Fuel Ban and Aircraft Registration Loom Large Over Pilots in the Sunshine State
The Experimental Aviation Association sent out some correspondence regarding prospective legislation in California, throwing its weight behind the cause of aviation for all.
The EAA told the California Senate Transportation Committee that it wholeheartedly opposed a pair of bills under consideration: SB 1193, Airports: Leaded Aviation Gasoline, and SB 1505 Aircraft Registration Fees. The first would provide incremental prohibitions on the sale or distribution of leaded avgas in California starting on January 1st 2026, seeding its effect with "airports located in, or adjacent to, disadvantaged communities and/or a city with a population of at least 700,000 people. The bill would eventually culminate in a ban on all leaded fuels on January 1st 2030. The second bill would establish a state aircraft registration system for initial and annual renewals, with the fee set by the Cali DMV. The funds generated from such an endeavor would go towards covering the program and the usual bureaucracy, with a chunk of it being "used to combat the detrimental environmental impacts of aircraft emissions."
The EAA isn't the only group pushing back such legislation, with the California Pilots Association, National Air Transportation Association, Air Transportation Association, and Vertical Aviation International (VAI). The second letter, opposing SB 1505 included AOPA, CPA, EAA, and VAI.
The EAA, and similar bodies, have responded in the usual manner, pointing out the strides that the industry is taking of its own volition. The message is clear - aviation does not need to be forced into going lead-free, the industry is doing just fine on that goal at its own safety-minded pace. Recent improvements in unleaded aviation fuel products are promising, and the writing is on the wall that 100-Low-Lead is going the way of the dodo in no time at all.
FMI: www.eaa.org
