A bill that aims to cut the use of lead fuel in piston-powered aircraft and the noise they generate above local neighborhoods is earning praise from the state’s pilot association.
The legislation – HB24-1235 – is headed to the state House Finance Committee for another hearing March 24 where it will likely see some changes, said Adrian Nye, president of the Colorado Pilots Association.
The substance of the bill is likely to remain unchanged, Nye said. “I think we are ok with it,” he said. “There will probably be a few more amendments. And we didn’t get everything we wanted with it. But that is how things are done.”
The bill went through a 7 ½-hour long hearing before the state House’s Committee on Transportation, Housing and Local Government last week. Many speakers were residents who live nearby general aviation airports in the metro area including Centennial Airport in Arapahoe County and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.
They complained about the noise generated by low-flying aircraft that also use leaded fuel which leaves a toxic footprint over homes and schools.
Also testifying was Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser who praised the bill for offering incentives to airports to transition to unleaded fuel for smaller aircraft and to come up with noise reduction plans.
Still, Weiser said, the legislation – if passed – will probably be challenged in court by the airline industry.
Nye said most pilots are in favor of using unleaded fuel. But there are logistic roadblocks to the full adoption of cleaner fuel.
“The main problem is that the fuel is not being produced anywhere,” Nye said. “And we are not certain unleaded fuel won’t damage aircraft engines.”
The bill creates a state income tax credit for owners of aircraft who transition from using lead fuel to the unleaded variety. Colorado’s state aviation grant program would give grants to general aviation airports and commercial airports to fund infrastructure changes that allow the sale of unleaded aviation gasoline at those airports, according to the bill.
The state’s aeronautical board would also expand from seven to nine voting members by requiring the appointment of two members who are residents of communities that are affected by general aviation traffic, the bill states.
The two new members must be familiar with airport infrastructure, according to an amendment to the legislation.
Another provision allows the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to have a non-voting member on the aeronautical board.