This Week’s Regulatory Updates
- European Airlines Challenge the EU’s Push for Synthetic Jet Fuel: European airlines argue that synthetic green jet fuel is still far too scarce and expensive to meet the EU’s 2030 mandate.
- US Set to Waive Summer Gasoline Regulations to Ease Prices: The Trump administration is preparing to temporarily waive federal restrictions on summer gasoline blends to help lower U.S. pump prices amid an Iran‑driven oil spike.
- New Fertiliser Regulations to Back British Farmers and Cut Pollution: The UK is overhauling fertiliser rules to help farmers adopt more sustainable, innovative products, reduce pollution, and rely less on imports.
- Portugal Approves Electricity Price Caps in Case of Energy Crisis: Portugal has passed a bill allowing temporary electricity price caps for households and most businesses if retail prices spike more than 70% or exceed 180 euros per megawatt‑hour.
European airlines challenge the EU’s push for synthetic jet fuel
European airlines are gearing up to push back on European Union (EU) rules that, from 2030, will oblige them to use synthetic “green” jet fuel (eSAF), warning that current mandates are too strict, too costly, and far ahead of what the market can realistically supply.
They plan to argue at an Airlines for Europe (A4E)‑hosted conference for either a delay or full repeal of the eSAF requirements, citing estimates that only 0.7% of the fuel needed in 2030 is likely to be online and that passengers could ultimately face 7–9 billion euros in penalties passed on by suppliers.
The EU’s current plan is for 2% of regional‑airport fuel to be sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2025, rising to 6% in 2030, with synthetic SAF starting at 1.2% in 2030 and ramping up to 5% by 2035. Still, airlines say most SAF today is bio‑based, three to five times pricier than conventional jet fuel, and accounts for just 0.3% of global supply.
Environmental advocates counter that postponing eSAF would kill startups and erode Europe’s early‑mover advantage. At the same time, industry groups stress that the technology remains nascent and that, without a reset, the rules risk becoming unaffordable and unworkable.
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Further reading: Exclusive: European airlines plan challenge to EU synthetic jet fuel rules
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The US is set to waive summer gasoline regulations to ease prices
The Trump administration is expected to temporarily lift federal rules on summer “smog‑cutting” gasoline blends to help push U.S. pump prices lower amid the Iran war‑driven oil shock.
The waiver would allow refiners to continue using cheaper regular gasoline. It would allow year‑round sales of E15 fuel (15% ethanol), which is normally restricted in parts of the country during the summer driving season.
Analysts say the move could shave several cents off the price per gallon, helping both consumers and refiners, as the national average already jumped to about $3.84 per gallon, up from $2.92 a month earlier. At the same time, U.S. crude has climbed above $100 per barrel.
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Further reading: US poised to waive summer gasoline regulations to ease prices, sources say
New fertiliser regulations to back British farmers and cut pollution
The UK government is updating fertiliser rules to help British farmers access more innovative products that cut air, land, and water pollution while boosting resilience to global price shocks.
Farming Minister Dame Angela Eagle says the plans will “support innovation in the fertiliser sector, reduce reliance on imports, and support more sustainable farming,” noting that the current framework is outdated and has barely changed in over 20 years.
The new system will align with a European-style fertilising-products model tailored to UK conditions, expand the use of recycled nutrients, tighten environmental standards and labelling, and run an eight-week consultation ending May 13 to gather evidence from farmers and industry.
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Further reading: New fertiliser regulations to back British farmers and cut pollution
Portugal approves electricity price caps in case of energy crisis
Portugal has approved a bill that lets the government temporarily cap electricity prices for households and most businesses if retail prices jump more than 70% or exceed 2.5 times the five‑year average above 180 euros per megawatt‑hour.
Cabinet Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro said an “energy crisis” would be declared if the trigger is hit, allowing measures such as limiting or setting prices below production cost, with the government initially covering support costs, and households and companies required to cut consumption by 20% and 30% of the previous year, respectively.
Wholesale prices in the Iberian MIBEL market were around 37.6 euros per MWh, well below the cap threshold, and Portugal’s heavy reliance on renewables, which accounted for about 79% of electricity production in early 2026, helps insulate it from a global spike in fossil‑fuel prices driven by the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran.
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Further Reading: Portugal approves electricity price caps in case of energy crisis
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: Plane in the sky. Photo Credit: Photo by Daniel Brzdęk on Unsplash.
