Following last week’s conclusion of the 13th triennial meeting of ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), the U.S. State Department issued an objection to one of the recommendations regarding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that was adopted at the Montreal meeting. The measure endorsed multi-cropping—the practice of growing two or more crops on the same land for the production of SAF—which the State Department asserts would unfairly penalize U.S. farmers and “significantly benefit Brazil over the rest of the world.”

According to the objection, the recommendation adopted by CAEP “harms U.S. farmers and the aviation industry, while increasing incentives for deforestation of threatened tropical forests.”

The document noted that the U.S. remains committed to a constructive dialogue at ICAO and with the CAEP and expressed a willingness to continue to work with member states, U.S. industry, and other observers on recommendations that “reflect U.S. interests that maximize contributions to ICAO.”

During the two-week meeting, the U.S. delegation worked with more than 33 member states and other stakeholders on recommendations to uphold aviation safety, promote civil supersonic aircraft, and address other critical aviation industry topics.