Air travel is one of the hardest emissions problems mountain communities face. Flights are essential — for residents, emergency services, and the visitor economy that sustains these towns — and yet aviation’s carbon footprint is enormous.
In a recent Mountain Towns 2030 webinar, Jac Stelly, Environmental Manager at Jackson Hole Airport, walked through the bold and practical steps his team is taking to reduce emissions. Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport situated entirely within a national park, which means every climate commitment it makes carries extra weight. The elk, the sagebrush, the night sky — all of it is part of the operating context.
Electrifying the Ground Fleet
Planes are the big emitters, but airports have far more direct control over what’s rolling around on the ground. At Jackson Hole, vehicles account for about 63% of the airport’s direct emissions portfolio.
The airport currently operates 79 vehicles — 38 diesel, 21 gas, and 20 electric. That electric number is growing. The team recently secured approval for three new Ford Lightning electric pickups, and they’ve added electric ground power units (GPUs) that plug directly into parked aircraft to run lights and air conditioning without idling the jet engines.
Stelly’s approach to selling the transition internally: lead with function, not emissions. “Range anxiety? We’ve got 28 and a half acres,” he said. At an airport, vehicles idle constantly — exactly the use case where EVs outperform combustion engines.
For heavier equipment, fully electric alternatives are still emerging – butJackson Hole isn’t waiting. They jumped from 300 gallons of renewable diesel in 2024 to roughly 7,000 gallons in 2025. No retrofit required — just drop it in and reduce tailpipe emissions now. Their neighbors at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort are running a 50% summer blend, proof that scaling is doable. Grants and partnerships are crucial in electrifying heavy-duty vehicles. The airport has active grants in progress for two electric fuel trucks and one electric compact loader. They are also partnering with Kodiak Technologies with hopes of demoing a fully electric snowplow.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
For the planes themselves, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the most actionable near-term solution. Made from non-petroleum feedstocks like recycled vegetable oils and agricultural byproducts, SAF cuts lifecycle emissions by 60–70% compared to conventional jet fuel.
Jackson Hole ran its first SAF batch in 2019. The goal now is on-site availability as a standard offering within the next year or two. Aspen has already done it, leveraging a community of private flyers willing to pay a green premium. Jackson Hole, with its high proportion of general aviation traffic, is well-positioned to follow.
Buildings: Geothermal and Dark Sky
Buildings account for roughly 30% of the airport’s emissions. For heating and cooling, Jackson Hole has leaned into geothermal — three systems across the terminal, a hangar, and the new administration building. The economics are strong: the federal Section 48 tax credit can return 30% of initial investment within about 18 months, and it has remained stable across administrations. For mountain towns near geothermal activity — which is most of them — this is an underutilized opportunity.
On lighting, Jackson Hole became the first airport in the world to earn Dark Sky certification. Parking lot lights dim to 30% at night and rise only when motion triggers them. The results benefit wildlife, stargazers, and the electric bill simultaneously.
Renewable Electricity: The Multiplier
Jackson Hole Airport currently purchases 100% renewable electricity through its local utility — and that single decision reshapes their entire emissions picture. Without it, electricity would represent 70% of their footprint and their total emissions would jump by nearly 300%.
“Our greatest opportunity in emissions reductions is the investment in renewable electricity generation,” Jac said. Locking in clean power — whether through purchase agreements, on-site solar, or utility advocacy — is the foundation everything else is built on.
Key Takeaways for Mountain Towns
• Lead with function. Framing EV and electrification projects around reliability and operational savings wins over skeptics faster than emissions arguments alone.
• Renewable diesel is available now. No retrofit, no delay — a meaningful emissions cut for heavy fleets while full electrification catches up.
• Geothermal is underutilized. For mountain communities near geothermal activity, the Section 48 tax credit makes the economics compelling right now.
• Clean electricity is the multiplier. Every electrification investment delivers its full benefit only when powered by renewable energy — utility partnerships matter as much as the technology itself.
• Airports are climate platforms. Millions of visitors pass through mountain airports each year. What they see modeled there travels home with them.
• Share the momentum. Jackson Hole’s progress accelerated through peer learning — with Aspen on SAF, with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on renewable diesel, with Dallas and Vancouver on fleet transitions. The network is the strategy.
—
Jac Stelly is Environmental Manager at Jackson Hole Airport and a participant in the Mountain Towns 2030 program.
This article is part of the Mountain Towns 2030 webinar recap series. Check out upcoming webinars at mt2030.org/events