BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder Municipal Airport has begun offering unleaded aviation fuel, becoming one of the latest airports in Colorado to transition away from leaded gasoline ahead of a nationwide push to eliminate it by 2030.
Airport officials marked the launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the airport’s first aircraft fueling using the new fuel.
The change comes after years of pressure from residents and aviation advocates concerned about the health effects of lead emissions from aircraft fuel.
“It’s what the community wanted, and I mean both residential community and the aviation community, and the funding is there to make it happen,” airport manager Eric Vences said.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working with airports and fuel producers nationwide through its Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions initiative, known as EAGLE, to phase out leaded aviation fuel by the end of the decade.
Unlike fuel used in cars, aviation gasoline used in many piston-engine aircraft still contains lead. The FAA has described aviation fuel as one of the last remaining transportation fuels in the country that still relies on lead additives.
Vences said not every aircraft operating at Boulder Municipal Airport can currently use the new unleaded fuel, but industry leaders expect broader adoption in the coming years.
“Everybody wants leaded fuels to go away,” Vences said. “The earlier that we have unleaded fuel available on field, the better prepared we’ll be for when that ultimate elimination happens.”
The airport is beginning the transition with a temporary 2,000-gallon skid-mounted fuel tank that became operational July 1. Airport officials said the system allows pilots to begin using unleaded fuel while the city pursues a permanent fueling system.
Vences said the airport hopes to eventually build a 12,000-gallon above-ground self-service fueling station, a project estimated to cost about $600,000.
Colorado is also helping subsidize the transition.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)'s Division of Aeronautics awarded Boulder a $70,000 grant to offset the higher cost of unleaded aviation fuel. The state is covering $63,000 of that funding, while the airport will contribute the remaining $7,000 through airport funds.
David Eulane, director of the CDOT Division of Aeronautics, said the grant is designed to narrow the price gap between traditional low-lead aviation gasoline and newer unleaded alternatives.
“It’s typically between about $1.25 and about $2 a gallon difference versus the unleaded versus the leaded fuel,” Eulane said.
Eulane said state officials expect those costs to decrease as more airports adopt unleaded fuel infrastructure and demand increases.
“We really, really want to be forward-leaning, look to the future, have our airports be ready for whatever is coming down the runway, including the transition to unleaded aviation fuel,” he said.
According to CDOT, about 75% of state airports currently offer aviation fuel, and officials hope more airports will eventually make the transition to unleaded options.
For some residents near the airport, the move represents progress on long-standing environmental and public health concerns.
“I’m all about doing things that will improve health,” Jonathan Lind, who works near Boulder Municipal Airport, said.
Airport officials said the fuel transition could also be part of a broader modernization effort. Vences said the airport is studying future electric aircraft infrastructure as aviation technology continues to evolve.
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