Bill Would Extend Defense Dept.'s Biofuels Contracting Ability

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine) On May 11, Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., introduced legislation that would authorize the U.S. Department of Defense to engage in 15 year contracts for advanced biofuels. The bill, titled the “Domestic Fuel for Enhancing National Security Act of 2011,” or H.R. 1847, was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Armed Services. According to information published in the Congressional Record, DOD contracts for advanced biofuels are currently limited to 5 years.
...The Biotechnology Industry Organization has spoken out in support of the bill. “Expanding the Defense Department’s ability to engage in long-term contracts would provide potential investors and advanced biofuel companies market stability when they commit capital to building new biorefineries,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section. “We need a dramatic scaling up of advanced biofuel production in the United States, beginning with capital investment in deploying new technologies. The Defense Department recognizes that domestically produced advanced biofuels are vital to our energy security, by for instance shielding the military from volatile energy supplies and prices.” READ MORE H.R. 1847