Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region

The Great Lakes region—comprising Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—is positioned to drive US aviation fuel targets due to its strong industrial networks and feedstock availability. While the region possesses significant strengths in ethanol supply chains and logistics, a policy gap analysis reveals that no state currently has a comprehensive, coordinated approach to SAF demand and supply. The brief argues that leveraging existing infrastructure, such as the O'Hare International Airport hub and the St. Lawrence Seaway, alongside federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, can catalyze a regional bioeconomy and reduce aviation emissions.

• The Great Lakes region possesses significant feedstock advantages, accounting for over 35% of US ethanol production capacity, with Illinois alone contributing over 10%.
• A policy gap analysis indicates that no state within the Great Lakes region has implemented a comprehensive or coordinated strategy to manage the supply and demand challenges of the SAF sector.
• Existing infrastructure in the region can be leveraged to scale SAF; for example, a study suggests that local feedstocks could replace up to 55% of conventional jet fuel at O'Hare International Airport, potentially reducing carbon emissions by 86% compared to Jet A fuel.
• The region's logistics network, including the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Mississippi River system, and the Chicago regional freight hub, provides a low-carbon means of transporting feedstocks and finished SAF to global markets.
• SAF production faces a significant economic barrier, with current market prices remaining two to four times higher than those of traditional fossil jet fuel.
• Specific regional projects are already underway, such as the Centerpoint refinery in Gary, Indiana, which aims to produce 31 million gallons of SAF annually from municipal waste by 2026, representing an $800 million investment.
• While the federal government provides leadership through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), state-level support varies; Illinois has enacted a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Purchasers’ Credit (SAFPC) providing $1.50 per gallon from July 2023 to December 2032.

APA

RMI (2023). Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region. https://rmi.org/resources/sustainable-aviation-fuel-targeted-opportunity-region-great-lakes-region/

Chicago

RMI. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/sustainable-aviation-fuel-targeted-opportunity-region-great-lakes-region/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region |date=26 September 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/sustainable-aviation-fuel-targeted-opportunity-region-great-lakes-region/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023sustainable, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/sustainable-aviation-fuel-targeted-opportunity-region-great-lakes-region/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }