US Biofuel Advocates Urge Congress to Continue Pentagon Funding
by David Alexander (Reuters) * Ex-Senator Warner leads veterans in pushing alternative fuels
* Senator Inhofe seeks accounting for Green Fleet demonstration
* Fossil fuel dependence means more conflict, veterans warn
Military veterans and former lawmakers urged Congress on Tuesday to continue funding the Pentagon’s controversial biofuels program, saying the failure to deal with U.S. dependence on foreign oil was a key factor in the wars of the past 22 years.
“As long as U.S. and global economic security are dependent on oil produced in volatile regions of the world, our military will be required to continue deployments and dangerous missions to ensure the … security of vital energy resources,” the group, led by retired Republican Senator John Warner, said in a letter to President Barack Obama and members of Congress.
The letter, published in advertisements in major newspapers on Tuesday, came as the struggle over the military’s biofuel program heats up in Congress, with some lawmakers trying to block military spending on alternative fuels that are more costly than conventional petroleum.
…Senator Jim Inhofe, a skeptic of the military’s spending on alternative fuels, sent a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Tuesday asking for details about the total cost of the Green Fleet demonstration, including the price of shipping the biofuels from Texas and Louisiana to Hawaii. READ MORE and MORE (Renewable Energy World)
