Georgia’s farms and forests could become a bigger part of the aviation fuel supply chain under a new coalition announced Wednesday, September 30.
Delta Air Lines, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Forestry Association have launched the Georgia Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. The group says it will work to attract fuel-production facilities and connect Georgia-grown raw materials with aviation customers.
For Atlanta, the effort brings together the airline business and the state’s rural economy. For farmers and forest landowners, its backers see a potential new market for materials used to make fuel. Those benefits remain goals, rather than announced contracts or guaranteed income.
What the coalition plans to do
The coalition’s first priorities are recruiting sustainable aviation fuel and biofuel facilities to Georgia, connecting university research with industry needs, and developing the supply chain between farms, forests and fuel buyers, according to the launch announcement provided to GAFollowers.
Boeing, Cox Enterprises and Norfolk Southern are listed as anchor partners. RYAM and Gulfstream Aerospace are supporting partners.
The broader partnership also includes Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, the Technical College System of Georgia and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, among other research, education and community organizations.
What sustainable aviation fuel means
The U.S. Department of Energy describes sustainable aviation fuel as fuel made from biomass and waste resources. Potential ingredients include agricultural residues, forestry residues, wood-mill waste and certain fats and oils.
The coalition is focused on building an industry around those resources. Wednesday’s announcement did not identify a new manufacturing plant, an investment amount, a production start date or a specific number of jobs.
Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said in the announcement that the effort could create new markets for agricultural commodities. Forestry association leader Tim Lowrimore similarly pointed to potential demand for landowners and manufacturing investment in rural communities.
A launch following months of groundwork
The chamber had already described preparations for the coalition in its May legislative-session recap. Wednesday’s news is the formal launch announcement, rather than the first indication the partnership was being developed.
Its next test will be turning the partnership into specific facilities, research projects and supply agreements. Until those are announced, the local opportunity is substantial in scope but still prospective.
For more local transportation coverage, see Atlanta’s effort to gather residents’ ideas for its 2040 transportation plan.
Featured image: April 12, 2025 file photo of a Delta aircraft departing Atlanta, not the coalition launch. Photo by Adolch / Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped for display; image adaptations are available under the same license.
