The US National Air Transportation Association (NATA) says the Federal Aviation Administration should become involved if a petition to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by Friends of the Earth to ban lead-based aviation fuel is to be acted upon.
"The most knowledgeable federal agency regarding aviation is the FAA," says NATA president, James Coyne. "Therefore, the FAA should be involved in any possible changes to aviation fuel, as they are best suited to monitor the economic impact of such changes and the strain they could impose."
Bluewater Network, the division of environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth that filed the petition with the EPA in mid-October, says general aviation contributes 88% of the lead from all mobile sources. Lead-based automobile fuels were phased out in 1996.
Source: Flight International