CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said LanzaJet was already producing sustainable aviation fuel. It has plans to do so at this point. (8:30 AM MST, January 27, 2024)

Georgia is the nation's top forestry state, grappling with overproduction and the aftermath of severe storms which damaged timber supplies.

Industry leaders and policymakers are turning to sustainable aviation fuel to boost the industry, create jobs and reduce carbon emissions.

Sen. Larry Walker, R-Perry, is on the Senate's committee for forestry innovation. He said the growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel from companies like Delta Air Lines highlights its potential. However, he emphasized expanding production requires strategic federal policies and research to ensure long-term growth.

"To invest in a facility that manufactures SAF, it's a huge investment. It's a long-term proposition," Walker stressed. "We need some certainty out of Washington what the public policy is going to be, what the incentives to create this industry are."

He explained a robust industry could have been an alternative use for storm-damaged timber from Hurricane Helene, potentially lessening the economic blow to rural communities. Walker added state lawmakers plan to introduce bills during the 2025 legislative session to support forestry innovation and expand sustainable aviation fuel production in the state.

Jimmy Samartzis is the CEO of LanzaJet, a company in Soperton, Georgia that plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel. He says SAF is cleaner and more efficient than traditional jet fuel, and it's made from existing carbon sources above ground. He thinks it could revitalize Georgia's timber industry and rural communities.

Samartzis says LanzaJet's facility has created at least 30 well-paying jobs, and can use forestry byproducts to produce ethanol for SAF, and potentially boost the local economy. He emphasizes further investment is crucial to addressing the challenges in building this industry from the ground up.

"We are finding, not just in the United States but abroad as well, government plays a really important role in trying to get a new industry off the ground, including the SAF industry," Samartzis noted. "To help offset some of the higher costs that exist with building these first plants and producing the first products."

He added while federal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and the 45-Z clean fuel tax credit aimed to support sustainable aviation fuel, their implementation has created challenges for alcohol-to-jet technologies. Despite this, he sees rising global demand as an opportunity for Georgia to lead in clean energy innovation and expand its economic impact.


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As President Donald Trump rolls back clean energy initiatives at the federal level, states like Maryland are pushing ahead with their own energy transitions.

Legislation moving through the Maryland General Assembly includes a bill to codify Gov. Wes Moore's campaign pledge, to transition the state to 100% clean energy by 2035. Another bill, known as the Abundant Affordable Clean Energy Act, would expand battery storage to the regional grid.

Rebecca Rehr, director of climate policy and justice for the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, said clean energy investments can also help the economy and combat rising energy costs.

"We can create a model of economic growth and clean energy adoption that other states can follow," Rehr contended. "We can really lead here, especially in the face of federal rollbacks. You can have economic growth and a growth of the clean energy industry here in Maryland at the same time. These go hand in glove."

Energy costs for many Maryland households have recently gone up 50% for gas and 30% for electricity.

Clean energy advocates in the state are also playing defense. Top Democratic leaders in the General Assembly introduced the Next Generation Energy Act, to build new natural gas plants. Rehr argued it would impede progress the state has made in the clean energy transition.

"If this bill moves forward as it was introduced, it not only seeks to build new gas in Maryland," Rehr pointed out. "It seeks to fast-track new gas in Maryland, which could have consequences and again sort of flies in the face of any environmental justice provisions in state law."

The state also has goals to produce 8.5 gigawatts of wind power by 2031.

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Texas would be one of five states to suffer the most if the Trump administration repeals the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a report from the think tank Energy Innovation.

Since the legislation was enacted in 2022, more than $17 billion in clean energy and transportation projects have been announced statewide.

Robbie Orvis, senior director for modeling and analysis at Energy Innovation, said ending the tax credits and reducing clean energy projects would negatively affect the Texas economy and environment.

"What the IRA does is, it creates an incentive for developers to build even more clean electricity," Orvis explained. "When those clean electricity plants come online, they help to lower the cost of electricity and bring down rates. That means that Americans pay less for their electricity every year."

The report showed ending the programs would increase the average annual household energy costs in Texas by more than $90 a year in 2030, and more than $370 a year by 2035. Some Republican lawmakers support keeping the IRA tax credits in place but the Trump administration said renewables make energy more expensive.

Orvis noted the nationwide study showed what would happen to energy projects and jobs between 2025 and 2035 if cuts are made.

"When we compared the top 10 states for each of those, there were five states that were in the top 10 in both of those categories: Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and Georgia," Orvis reported.

The results mirror analysis from financial services company Moody's, which analyzed President Donald Trump's campaign policy platform in August 2024 and found it would increase inflation and weaken economic growth, causing a recession as soon as mid-2025.

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A Monday court hearing features a case pitting two North Dakota counties against a large carbon capture project. The legal challenge stands in the shadows of heavier opposition across the border, and opponents here hope for similar momentum.

Burleigh and Emmons counties are appealing permit approval by North Dakota regulators for a multistate pipeline. A company wants to capture emissions from ethanol plants for underground storage. Safety concerns, local restrictions and property owners' rights are part of the backlash.

Steve Bakken, vice chair of the Burleigh County Commission, said there is a disconnect between what state leaders who back the project promote, versus what they do.

"We seem to have a track record building of our legislature liking to speak about local control, except for when it's not convenient for what they want to get through," Bakken observed.

This session, North Dakota lawmakers voted down oversight bills for the emerging carbon capture industry. But in South Dakota, concerned property owners have had success and a new law there has stalled the state's section of the project. Project supporters said it could help the region's economy by keeping ethanol producers thriving.

Today's hearing is for the company's request to dismiss the case.

The firm behind the project, Summit Carbon Solutions, has come under scrutiny over its encounters with property owners as it seeks land agreements.

Dustin Gawrylow, managing director of the North Dakota Watchdog Network, said organizers don't like how the big project is being forced through. Regardless of whether the permits stand, he said lawmakers should not look past the groundswell of opposition.

"This time, it may not have impacted North Dakota policy or the project here in North Dakota," Gawrylow acknowledged. "But ultimately, I do believe that down the road, there will be a project that turns the tide in North Dakota on these issues as well."

A key difference in the policy approach of the two states may be North Dakota's stronger connections to the oil and gas industry. The Summit pipeline is also touted as a way to convert the emissions to fuel sources, which is a main point of contention for environmentalists.

Summit has rejected concerns about many aspects of the project, and said despite recent obstacles, it will move forward.


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