Centennial Airport received a $300,000 grant to support a price subsidy program aimed at encouraging the use of unleaded fuel in piston-powered aircraft.

Last week, the Colorado Aeronautical Board unanimously approved the grant, funded by House Bill 24-1235, to help subsidize the higher cost of unleaded fuel offered by JetCenters of Colorado, one of the largest fixed-base operators and suppliers of fuel to the Englewood general aviation airport.

The new legislation aims to reduce aviation’s impact on Colorado’s communities and facilitate the transition to safe, fleetwide 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel, according to a statement from the Aeronautical Board.

The bill said the lesser of $1.5 million, or 10%, of the annual Colorado Discretionary Aviation Grant Program would be allocated to support airports’ transition to unleaded aviation fuel.

Over the years, regional airports have been the subject of complaints over noise and other types of pollution, notably from the potential health effects of airborne lead emissions from overhead aircraft.

Last February, residents of Superior’s Rock Creek subdivision filed a lawsuit against neighboring Jefferson County, owner of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, complaining that noise and alleged pollution from leaded aviation fuel are affecting their well-being and devaluing their homes.

Surface swab testing for lead in Superior by Pinyon Environmental in August 2023 revealed no lead contamination, and neither did airborne lead sampling in January 2024. Nor did airborne and swab testing in Louisville, just across U.S. 36 from Superior, reveal any lead. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has not been able to find harmful levels of lead caused by general aviation, according to Brad Schuster, the Northwest Mountain regional manager for the group.

In May last year, Centennial became the state’s first airport to offer unleaded fuel.

“There is no safe level of lead, and HB24-1235 makes transitioning away from leaded aviation fuel a top priority,” said primary bill sponsor Rep. Kyle Brown. “I applaud the Department of Transportation and the Division of Aeronautics for working to immediately implement this new law.”

Centennial Airport Executive Director Mike Fronapfel said the airport is committed to being a leader in sustainability and in the transition to unleaded aviation fuel.

Centennial Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the nation, with more than 300,000 takeoffs and landings each year. It is home to several flight schools and aviation-related businesses.

According to the 2020 Economic Impact Study of Colorado Airports, Centennial Airport supports 10,341 jobs, produces more than $593 million in annual payroll, and generates $2.1 billion in total economic impact.