Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: In 2022-24, Southwest has both positive and negative engagement with climate policy for aviation. Southwest supports the US sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)-blenders tax credit and Clean Fuel Production Credit, while opposing stringent sustainability criteria for SAFs, and the mandatory inclusion of intrastate jet fuel under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Southwest retains membership to industry associations that are negatively engaged on climate policy.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: In its Climate Advocacy report, published in 2024, Southwest supported net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and advocated for policies that promote in-sector emissions reductions over indirect offsetting. This position was reiterated in its 2023 ‘One Report’, published in May 2024. The Climate Advocacy Report, and 2023 One Report, also stated support for the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Southwest’s Climate Advocacy Report, published in 2024, supported the US sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blenders tax credit, Clean Fuel Production credit, and state-level SAF tax credits in Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. Support for the federal and state SAF tax credits was echoed in Southwest’s 2023 One Report, published in May 2024. Southwest also supported policies incentivizing SAFs in August 2024 regulatory comments. Through the ‘SAF BTC Coalition’ Southwest supported the US SAF blenders tax credit in February 2023 regulatory comments and the Clean Fuel Production Credit in December 2022 regulatory comments.
However, through the ‘SAF BTC Coalition’, Southwest appeared to advocate for weaker sustainability criteria for SAFs to protect land-based carbon stores under the SAF blenders tax credit and Clean Fuel Producers Credit in February 2023 and December 2022 US consultation responses. Furthermore, in a April 2024 joint letter to policymakers, Southwest appeared to push for crop-based SAFs through support for the Farm to Fly bill which promotes aviation fuels produced from agricultural crops. Southwest also reportedly endorsed the Farm to Fly bill in a November 2023 press release by Congressman Max Miller.
In August 2024 regulatory comments, Southwest advocated for a continued exemption for intra-state jet fuel under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, keeping jet fuel on a voluntary opt-in basis.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2022-24, Southwest appeared supportive of a transition from traditional kerosene fuel to SAFs for the airline sector. In its 2023 One Report, published in May 2024, Southwest supported increased use of SAF, but expressed an unclear position on hydrogen and electric-powered aircraft. A May 2023 joint letter, signed by Southwest, advocated for increased investment in bio-SAFs.
Industry Association Governance: In its Climate Advocacy Report, published in 2024, Southwest published a review of its industry association memberships. Southwest’s President and CEO, Bob Jordan, is a member of Airline for America’s Board of Directors and Southwest was Vice Chair of A4A’s Environmental Sustainability Council in 2023. A4A is actively and negatively engaged on climate policy. Southwest is also a member of the US Chamber of Commerce, California Chamber of Commerce and Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, all of which are negatively engaged on US climate policy.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q4 2024.