S. 144 — Farm to Fly Act of 2025

This section sets forth the purposes of the Act—to enable access for sustainable aviation fuels within USDA bioenergy programs—and congressional findings on the benefits of such fuels for domestic energy security, the agricultural sector, rural economic development, and aviation.

This section revises the definition of advanced biofuel in the Biomass Research and Development chapter to (1) include sustainable aviation fuel within diesel-equivalent fuel derived from renewable biomass and (2) add as a new inclusion biofuel, including sustainable aviation fuel, produced from an intermediate ingredient or feedstock. The section also establishes a definition of sustainable aviation fuel as liquid fuel (the portion of which is not kerosene) that meets specified ASTM International standards; is not derived from coprocessing applicable materials (i.e., monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, free fatty acids, or fatty acid esters) with non-biomass feedstocks, palm fatty acid distillates, or petroleum; and is certified to achieve at least a 50% lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction relative to petroleum-based jet fuel, as determined under the International Civil Aviation Organization's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation or the GREET model. (Thus, sustainable aviation fuel meeting these criteria qualifies as an advanced biofuel for purposes of biomass research, development, and demonstration programs.)

This section establishes the Farm to Fly collaboration initiative, under which the Secretary of Agriculture must pursue all Department of Agriculture (USDA) mission areas to advance sustainable aviation fuels by (1) ensuring leadership across USDA agencies to maximize effectiveness; (2) identifying opportunities to maximize sustainable aviation fuels development and commercialization; (3) leveraging capabilities of farmers, foresters, and the agricultural sector to capture emerging market opportunities; (4) supporting rural economic development through improved aviation sustainability; and (5) advancing public-private partnerships that complement federal efforts.

This section modifies the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance program by (1) adding to the program's purposes the fostering and advancing of sustainable aviation fuels and (2) expanding the definition of eligible technology to include sustainable aviation fuel alongside advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, and biobased products. (As background, the program provides loan guarantees to eligible entities for developing, constructing, and retrofitting commercial-scale biorefineries using eligible technology. Thus, the changes broaden eligibility to biorefineries producing sustainable aviation fuel.)