EPA Proposes Endangerment Finding for
Leaded Aviation Fuel

October 7, 2022

The message below was sent by Marion Hoyer from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

EPA Announces Proposed Determination that Leaded Aviation Fuel May Reasonably Endanger Public Health and Welfare

On Friday, October 7th, EPA announced the proposed determination that lead emissions from aircraft operating on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare.

The proposal and fact sheet for this action are on EPA's website: https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-lead-emissions-aircraft

This action will undergo public notice and comment and after consideration of comments, the EPA plans to issue any final endangerment determination in 2023.

EPA's consideration of the endangerment finding is a first step toward application of EPA's and FAA's statutory authorities to address lead pollution from aircraft. The proposed finding, if finalized, would not apply new requirements to entities other than EPA and FAA. EPA is not at this time proposing aircraft engine lead emission standards.

If EPA makes a final determination that aircraft engine emissions of lead cause or contribute to lead air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare, EPA would subsequently propose regulatory standards for lead emissions from aircraft engines. Such a final determination would also trigger the FAA's statutory mandate to prescribe standards for the composition or chemical or physical properties of an aircraft fuel or fuel additive to control or eliminate aircraft lead emissions.

The FAA has two integrated initiatives focused on safely transitioning the fleet of piston-engine aircraft to an unleaded future: the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) and the FAA-industry partnership to Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE). For information about these initiatives, go to https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/avgas. In addition, the FAA has approved the safe use of an unleaded fuel that can be used in a large number of piston-engine aircraft, along with other unleaded fuels for specific aircraft.