The House Armed Services Committee report on next year's Pentagon budget includes a measure that would exclude the purchase of biofuels.
As reported in Renewable Energy World, the US military has been a major supporter of the biofuels industry. The Navy plans to unveil its “Green Strike Force” at this year’s RIMPAC.
The Navy has pledged to use 50 percent alternative fuels by 2020, but the House Armed Services Committee are questioning the value of current biofuel blend which costs around $15 per gallon.
The US Navy purchases biofuels like cooking oil and algae-based fuels. Although these purchases are crucial to keep the US biofuels industry alive, they are expensive and offer questionable value to the environment .
The US military has repeatedly indicated that climate change is a threat to national security and finding cleaner energy alternatives is in the strategic interests of the nation. However, biofuels may not be the best solution.
Although the data suggests that biofuels offer limited benefits the US military has kept the biofuels pipe-dream alive. If this support dries up, it may force the nation's armed services to find truly clean sources of energy.
© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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