Posted on 07/02/2012 4:01:29 PM PDT by Libloather
White House pushes biofuels on Navy over lawmaker objections
By Zack Colman - 07/02/12 03:58 PM ET
The Obama administration is putting another $62 million into its bet that biofuels can power the Navy, rankling many lawmakers who say the programs are wasteful.
In May, Senate Armed Services Committee members derided the $26-per-gallon biofuel and petroleum cocktail fueling the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet,” an aircraft carrier strike group testing green-energy fuels, during a markup of the 2013 Defense Authorization Bill.
But with the Great Green Fleet setting sail last week for a six-week naval exercise in the Pacific Rim, the administration is rebuffing lawmakers and using the opportunity to continue its push for the military to use cleaner fuels.
On Monday, the administration announced two new biofuel research and development programs.
The Navy, Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy (DOE) will offer $30 million in matching funds to support “drop-in” biofuel research and development, an Energy spokesman told the press Monday.
DOE also will contribute $32 million to a separate initiative for “early-stage, pre-commercial investments” in biofuel technology.
“Drop-in” refers to the ability to use the fuel with existing infrastructure and technology, making implementation easier and less expensive.
Large-scale adoption of that substitute fuel could help reduce the use of diesel and jet fuels in military and commercial transportation operations, DOE says. Funding for the drop-in effort comes from the Defense Production Act, which aims to boost national security through fostering domestic energy production.
The administration’s move is likely to attract criticism from lawmakers, though. Members from both parties have been less than enthusiastic about increasing the military’s reliance on biofuels.
Republican Sens. James Inhofe (Okla.) and John McCain (Ariz.) last month got bipartisan approval to tack on amendments to the Defense authorization bill that could restrain the Defense Department’s (DOD) use of biofuels.
Inhofe’s measure relieved the DOD from buying biofuels if they cost more than traditional sources. Petroleum cost about $3.60 per gallon Monday. McCain’s provision barred the department from building biofuel refineries unless authorized by law. Both passed with a 13-12 vote in the Armed Services Committee.
The administration, however, defended its emphasis on biofuels Monday as a national security issue.
The Defense Production Act “is a critical component of strengthening our national security, and energy is a national security issue,” U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Monday in prepared remarks. “Our reliance on foreign oil is a significant military vulnerability and it would be irresponsible not to address it.”
The Obama administration hopes developments in that energy technology could help achieve its goal of dropping oil imports by one-third by 2025.
Of the $32 million DOE program, $20 million will go toward pilot- and demonstration-scale bio-refineries to help meet jet fuel and shipboard diesel standards. The remaining $12 million will fund up to eight projects “focused on researching ways to develop bio-based transportation fuels and products using synthetic biological processing,” DOE said.
More money laundering —the big-shot at the biofuel company for the Navy was a big-shot on Obama’s campaign and transition team.
In fact the BioFuel the USN used for that big exercise is about 17 TIMES as expensive as the real thing.
I’m working on the details, now —it was news about 8 months ago, hang on...
http://www.redstatereport.com/2012/03/obama-forces-navy-to-use-16gallon-biofuel/
The crony’s name is T.J. Glauthier, and the fuel is over $16 per gallon —that’s with a shrinking USN budget, m’kay..?
Lots of other stuff, too.
CRONY CAPITALISM.
And how much of that 62 million makes it back to the re elect obama account
From Solazyme's own website:
TJ Glauthier is an advisor and corporate board member in the energy and “clean tech” sector. He advises companies dealing with the complex competitive and regulatory challenges in the energy sector today. He also served on President Obama’s White House Transition Team, where he focused primarily on the energy portion of the economic stimulus bill.
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Oh! Almost forgot...! Obama gave Solazyme $21 MILLION in stimulus funds.
Nice, huh? ANOTHER Solyndra.
Reason is a foregone conclusion.
Obama gave Solazyme $21 MILLION in stimulus funds
Of which how much wound up in the DNC coffers? Can you say money laundering? I knew you could!
Because the Bamster wants his stuff to work, whenever he wants it to work.
Everything and everyone else is expendable.
Send an email to the Editorial department: jennifery@thehill.com
Biofuel mandates are an indirect, constantly cycling tax.
Manufacturers require grants (tax dollars) to produce fuel. Mandate markets buy fuels at inflated costs. Additional taxes are required to purchase fuel at inflated cost.
Lets see $26/gallon multiplied by about 200 gallons per mile equals $5,200/mile ... How far is it across the Pacific?
Navy Takes Biofuels Campaign Into Uncharted Waters
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2011/January/Pages/NavyTakesBiofuelsIntoUnchartedWaters.aspx
Since 2006, the Defense Logistics Agency has procured more than 36 million gallons of ethanol-and-petroleum blends for the military. The Navy in September ordered an additional 150,000 gallons of algae-based fuel from San Francisco company Solazyme. The new agreement is seven times the size of the initial 20,000-gallon contract awarded last year. The Navy is paying big bucks for these fuels.
The service consumes an average of 1.2 billion gallons of petroleum each year at a cost of $3 billion — about $2.50 per gallon. The service paid Solazyme $8.5 million to provide just 20,000 gallons of algae-based fuel —
$425 per gallon.
At that rate, it would cost the Navy some $142.8 billion for the 8 million barrels of biofuel needed to meet its 2020 goal.
Camelina-based fuel is a bit cheaper but still more expensive than petroleum. In September 2009 the DLA’s defense energy support center paid Montana’s Sustainable Oils $2.7 million for 40,000 gallons of camelina-based fuel. That comes to about $67.50 per gallon.
Makes those 700 dollar toilet seats seem cheap.
Paging John Cornyn. Paging John Cornyn. Please COME IN, John Cornyn! (Is this thing working?)
[Manufacturers require grants (tax dollars) to produce fuel. Mandate markets buy fuels at inflated costs. Additional taxes are required to purchase fuel at inflated cost.]
And there’s a couple of kickbacks in there someplace.
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