The FAA is committed to removing lead from aviation gasoline without adversely affecting the safe and efficient operation of more than 220,000 general aviation aircraft. The Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding requires the FAA to regulate fuel composition and with this decision, the FAA will initiate rulemaking aimed at controlling or eliminating aviation lead emissions from piston engine aircraft. 

In the interim, the FAA encourages the early adoption of alternate unleaded fuels and the management of lead emissions by increasing the distance between piston engine run-up locations and communities. The transition to a new fuel is a national initiative and it is important for the safety of aviation that 100-octane low-lead fuel continues to be available for piston engine aircraft that require its use.