Ag News
Groups launch Georgia Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition
Posted on Oct 07, 2026 at 13:43 PM
On Sept. 30, a collection of key stakeholder groups, including Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB), announced the launch of the Georgia Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition during an event in the Delta Flight Museum at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The coalition is a partnership focused on positioning the state as a national leader in SAF research and production.
GFB is a founding partner in the group, along with Delta Air Lines, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Forestry Association.
Fittingly, the launch event was held at the Delta Flight Museum. Multiple speakers noted that Delta got its start as a crop-dusting company.
The coalition leaders noted that SAF production in the state could open new markets for Georgia farmers, particularly those who produce timber.
“It's going to open new markets for our farmers to be able to grow new crops besides the fact it's going to use the trees that we already grow,” said GFB President Tom McCall. “Georgia has more private-owned forestland than any other state in America, and this is going to open new markets for those pine trees that are all over Georgia for our farms.”
The event included remarks from McCall, Delta President and CEO Peter Carter, Metro Chamber President and CEO Katie Kirkpatrick, Georgia Forestry Association President Tim Lowrimore and Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns. Chamber Chief Economic Development Officer Kristi Brigman hosted a panel discussion with Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Delta Director of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Cox Enterprises
The organizers referenced the airport and the fact that Georgia is the No.1 state for forestry as key assets that facilitate the advancement of SAF production. Georgia uses more than 1 billion gallons of aviation fuel a year, and the vast majority of it is used in flights originating from Hartsfield-Jackson.
The timing is significant, too. Georgia’s timber producers have taken several major hits in the past two years, with the closure of multiple paper mills and massive tree loss caused by Hurricane Helene.
Complicating those factors is a new rule in the European Union placing land-use limits on timber exported to EU countries.
Pike County farmer Matt Bottoms, who also serves as a GFB 5th District director, attended the SAF event and explained why timber growers need a new market for their timber. In addition to fewer mills in Georgia open to buy timber, Bottoms referenced how the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is negatively affecting timber owners.
The EUDR, set to go into effect Dec. 31, 2026, requires timber products exported for sale in the EU to have been grown on land that will be reforested after the timber is cut. The land cannot be converted into pasture or cropland, though the EUDR restrictions do not apply for some purposes, including land that is placed into solar energy generation.
“I’ve got about 200 acres of timber, but with the closures of so many mills in Georgia and across the U.S., the main market for timber is overseas. I can’t cut my timber if I want to convert the timberland to pastures or grow crops," Bottoms said. "Creating a new market is a welcome development. Hopefully if a market for sustainable aviation fuel gets going it will increase timber prices.”
The Georgia General Assembly enacted House Bill 134, the Keep Georgia Forested Act, this year. The law includes new language for the Jobs and Manufacturing Tax Credit for forestry manufacturers, defined as any company that uses domestic wood in the manufacturing process, allowing the transferable job and investment tax credits to be used by new forestry manufacturers investing in Georgia.
Georgia Farm Bureau members from the organization's 3rd and 5th Districts attended the event at the Atlanta airport. /Photo by Jay Stone
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