Flying High with Biofuels

Unrest in the Middle East throughout 2011 not only increased global prices for gasoline but also jet fuel used by commercial airlines and the Department of Defense.

In fact, according to a new Bloomberg Government analysis, at the current market value of about $3 a gallon, jet fuel costs the department more than $12 billion a year. So, every $.25 increase in the cost of jet fuel makes a $1 billion difference in the Department’s bottom line – a debt that will be passed along to the American taxpayer.

Commercial airline carriers have responded to rising jet fuel costs with plans to idle older, less-efficient aircraft, and they've also proposed service cuts. But, when it comes to the United States Air Force, Navy and Marines, service cuts are not an option.

In an attempt to break free of its petroleum dependence, the Department of Defense is turning to biofuels.

The Navy signed a $12 million contract in 2011 to buy 450,000 gallons of fuel made from alternative fuels to cut costs for the Department of Defense, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil and provide the continued federal commitment necessary to spur innovation into next generation fuels that can be made from a variety of feedstocks.

As Navy Secretary Ray Mabus stated, "When we did an examination of the vulnerabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps, fuel rose to the top of the list pretty fast. We simply buy too much fossil fuel from actual and potentially volatile places."

The sober truth is that the United States sends more than $300 billion to the economies of foreign nations for crude oil every year – that is equivalent to $1,000 annually for every man, woman and child in America.

We can no longer afford to allow a handful of countries – many controlled by dictators and strongmen – to exert this kind of influence over our military or our economy.

The more biofuels we create domestically, the less oil we need to import from overseas – keeping our money here in the U.S., putting it to work on our economy, and reducing the impact that foreign nations have on our country’s overall security. Instead of crossing our fingers, hoping that gas prices don’t rise, it’s time to take action with ethanol.