'Green Strike Group' Offers Point of Pride, Not Political Divisiveness

Aviation Fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)), Defense, Federal Agency/Executive Branch, Federal Legislation, Opinions, Policy

July 23, 2012

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(25 x ’25) As the “green strike group” makes its way through the waters of the Pacific Rim this week, the performance of the advanced biofuels helping power many of those ships is a cause for celebration of American innovation and marks a new victory in the American battle against its dependence on foreign oil.
The green fleet demonstration is an important milestone in the Department of the Navy’s testing and certification program of 50/50 blends of advanced hydrotreated biofuel and aviation gas in aircraft and marine diesel in surface ships. The military’s ability to use fuels other than petroleum reduces the services’ vulnerability to rapid and unforeseen changes in the price of oil that can negatively impact readiness, while also increasing energy security.
For many decades, the U.S military has been depending on a single source of fuel for all of its operations – fossil fuels. Unfortunately, petroleum products are subject to volatile fuels spikes, a persistent recurrence that stems in large part to the fact that nearly half of all oil used in the United States comes from foreign sources, including a large portion held by hostile and unstable government regimes.
The reality is that a $10-per-barrel increase in the price of oil costs the Department of Defense approximately $1.3 billion, an amount nearly equal to entire procurement budget for the U.S. Marines.
A biofuel initiative begun in 2006 when President George W. Bush’s Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, initiated a task force to explore options for reducing the military’s dependence on fossil fuels, has been sustained in succeeding years with bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. READ MORE and MORE (Navy/Great Green Fleet) and MORE (Sacramento Bee) and MORE (PR NewsWire) and MORE (BioTech-Now)

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