Judge Defers CEH/G100UL Ruling

A judge will issue a final ruling no earlier than two weeks from now on a California environmental group's bid to force the replacement of 100LL with GAMI's G100UL at 17 FBOs. Superior Court Judge Somnath Raj Chatterjee said he wants to review the transcript of arguments heard in Alameda on Wednesday before making a final decision. He will determine whether to enforce a 10-year-old consent agreement between the Center for Environmental Health and the FBOs that settled a lawsuit over the use of leaded avgas at the FBOs. The FBOs, along with four fuel distributors, who also signed the agreement, are compelled to stop selling 100LL as soon as a "commercially viable" alternative with lower lead content is ready. CEH argues that's G100UL, which is now sold at two California airport.

Although Chatterjee hasn't officially dropped the gavel on this case he's issued a preliminary decision, copied below, that suggests he's going to throw the case out. In the document, he says fuel doesn't just have to be "commercially available," it also has to be "commercially feasible." Chatterjee also appears to call into question the validity of the STC process that was used to certify G100UL in all certified piston aircraft except helicopters.