The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Australia’s Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism have reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to continue research and development of clean, sustainable alternative aviation fuels. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Australian Ambassador to the United States Kim Beazley recently signed the agreement.
Secretary LaHood said that air travel is global and we need international partners to develop these innovative new fuels. The DOT’s goal is to work with all of the Asia Pacific nations to achieve a sustainable, independent energy future for aviation. LaHood said that this is an exciting first step.
The MOU calls for Australia and the United States to exchange information about policies, programs, projects, research results, and publications, and to conduct joint studies in areas such as fuel sources and environmental impacts. The memorandum also facilitates analysis of fuel source supply chains. The signing nations agree to cover the associated costs.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said the DOT and FAA are committed to making aviation as clean and as energy efficient as possible as part of their agency’s NextGen air traffic modernization goals. This agreement and others between the FAA and their international partners will enable the agency to better share and exchange technologies and research to attain these goals.
