Protecting Vulnerable Communities from Lead Exposure

Summary

Leaded aviation fuel (avgas) is a dangerous pollutant. It is poisoning disadvantaged communities of color, specifically children, around the country living near small airports.

In 2021, community concerns were spiking near a local airport – Reid-Hillview (RHV) Airport in East San Jose – so the County of Santa Clara, California sponsored a peer-reviewed scientific study on lead exposure. The conclusions were alarming and clear: the airplanes using leaded aviation fuel at the airport were causing significantly elevated blood lead levels in children. The kids living downwind from the airport had lead levels comparable with those detected during the peak of the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan.

Santa Clara County rightfully banned the sale of leaded avgas at County-owned airports. Unfortunately, there were obstacles standing in the way of that necessary ban. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren spoke directly with President Joe Biden about the issue and received his support in the fall of 2022. Thereafter, the County has been able to enact their ban to protect East San Jose families from lead poisoning.

Lofgren is now making sure the ban remains in place. She is also pushing for a national leaded avgas ban. She will not back down from this fight for the sake of all communities and children suffering around the country.

Latest News

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) REAUTHORIZATION PROCESS

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which passed the House of Representatives on May 15, 2024, directs the FAA to plan for the safe elimination of leaded avgas by 2030 in the continental United States. That’s good news.

Also, in prior years and iterations of the FAA reauthorization legislation, stringent requirements to sell leaded avgas were unfortunately included in bill text. This year’s legislation clearly allows the Santa Clara County ban to remain in effect.

Lofgren joins advocates in urging airports throughout the country to use this new authorization as an opportunity to begin their transitions to unleaded fuel (specifically with Airport Improvement Program funds). Moreover, Lofgren will continue to push for a full leaded avgas ban in future bills.  

Past Actions

Listed in chronological order

• In February 2022, Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna, and Panetta sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling on the DOT to make the nationwide elimination of leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) a priority to protect vulnerable communities.
  • They wrote, "For the communities suffering daily from lead exposure due to avgas emissions, federal leadership to address this environmental justice crisis is long overdue" and that they "are concerned that the FAA’s actions are hindering local governments’ attempts to discontinue sale of the very fuel that is poisoning disadvantaged communities of color with lead, rather than assisting with efforts to protect these communities from harm."
• In July 2022, Rep. Lofgren spoke at an Environment Subcommittee hearing on leaded avgas.
  • She said, "This is an important hearing. The idea that we would continue to poison the children in East San Jose for another five or six years is completely unacceptable."
• In September 2022, Reps. Lofgren and Khanna invited Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to meet and join them at RHV Airport. 
  • They wrote, "You are aware we have serious concerns about the harms of leaded avgas in low-income communities of color surrounding this airport."
• In October 2022, Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna, and Panetta, reacted to the EPA's endangerment finding and invited officials to come to San Jose. 
  • They emphasized that, "the EPA confirmed that leaded avgas is a dangerous pollutant, something our community near Reid-Hillview Airport sadly knows all too well."
• In February 2023, Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna, and Panetta, reacted to the MOU between the FAA and Santa Clara County. 
  • They said, "This week’s MOU is welcome news for the families in East San Jose, and it is a small victory for other airport-adjacent communities in America."
• In July 2023, Rep. Lofgren worked with the Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to secure improvements to the language in the Manager’s Amendment of the House’s FAA reauthorization bill, which should protect Santa Clara County residents from exposure to leaded fuel used by small aircraft.
  • Lofgren also offered an amendment to further improve the related section of the bill, but it was not accepted to be considered for a vote.
• In October 2023, Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna, and Panetta reacted to the EPA's finalized endangerment finding and renewed their call for a nationwide leaded avgas ban.
• In April 2024, Rep. Lofgren wrote to the California State Senate Transportation Committee to express her strong support for Senate Bill 1193 (Menjivar), which prohibits the sale, distribution, and availability of leaded aviation gasoline at airports in the state, with a phased approach that takes into account the unique circumstances in communities across California.