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The Alaska Railroad is eliminating 52 positions. KSKA reports not all are currently filled, so the actual number of layoffs will be fewer. The railroad's director of strategic planning, Bruce Carr, says layoffs are necessary because less fuel is being shipped from the Flint Hills Refinery in North Pole to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. That equates to about a $5 million loss.

Ecofanaticism: SolyndraGate was no isolated case of corrupt government misspending. The U.S. Navy was just forced to buy 450,000 gallons of biofuels from an Obama-connected firm at an outrageous $16 per gallon. The massive Obama stimulus was supposed to generate millions of jobs, but the $535 million loan guarantee it gave to solar panel maker Solyndra on the eve of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy illustrated the fundamental incompetence of Obama's neo-Keynesian economic ideology. Now we find the Navy partnering with the Agriculture Department to purchase hundreds of thousands

NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, the top export of the United States, the world's biggest gas guzzler, is — wait for it — fuel. Measured in dollars, the nation is on pace this year to ship more gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel than any other single export, according to U.S. Census data going back to 1990. It will also be the first year in more than 60 that America has been a net exporter of these fuels. Just how big of a shift is this? A decade ago, fuel wasn't even among the top 25 exports. And...

Navy jet takes off from U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. (U.S. Navy photo) (CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration’s deal to buy 450,000 gallons of biofuel for Navy jets comes at a cost of up to nine times higher than regular fuel, a spokesman for Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said, coming at a time when the U.S. military is already facing deep budget cuts. Inhofe, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has supported biofuel projects in the past, but has problems with a program the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

When we hear the words “jet fuel,” we tend to think in terms of exotic, volatile mixtures, something akin to that which sends top fuel dragsters roaring down a quarter-mile track. In reality, jet propulsion fuel is pretty ordinary stuff. Depending on the type, it can be nothing more than the same kerosene we used to put in lanterns. So when I heard that the Navy was now paying as much as $16 a gallon for some of its jet fuel, every alarm on my internal radar sounded off in a deafening squeal. My first call naturally went to my...

<p>Now we find the Navy partnering with the Agriculture Department to purchase hundreds of thousands of gallons of alternative biofuel in place of standard JP-5 fuel for Navy aircraft — the biggest federal purchase of biofuel ever.</p> <p>A look at the lucky seller of this environmentalist version of the proverbial $600 Pentagon toilet seat indicates that the move is not just wasteful, but ethically suspect.</p>

Ecofanaticism: SolyndraGate was no isolated case of corrupt government misspending. The U.S. Navy was just forced to buy 450,000 gallons of biofuels from an Obama-connected firm at an outrageous $16 per gallon. The massive Obama stimulus was supposed to generate millions of jobs, but the $535 million loan guarantee it gave to solar panel maker Solyndra on the eve of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy illustrated the fundamental incompetence of Obama's neo-Keynesian economic ideology. Now we find the Navy partnering with the Agriculture Department to purchase hundreds of thousands of gallons of alternative biofuel in place of standard JP-5 fuel for...

On 28 October Air China conducted its first trial flight of a passenger jet powered by a mix of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel. The Jet A-1 biofuel kerosene used in the flight was derived from the seeds of tung trees, more commonly known as japtropha. Air China’s Boeing 747-400 landed safely at Beijing Capital International Airport at 9:30 a.m. after burning more than 10 tons of the biofuel, a 50-50 mixture of traditional Jet A-1 derived from oil and Jet A-1 processed from the japtropha seeds. The jatproha Jet A-1 is what’s known as a drop-in, simply being admixed...

That's the latest from the Air Force, which has been running tests to see how its aircraft perform burning something other than straight jet fuel. The initiative is aimed not only at shrinking its carbon footprint and spurring alternative fuels development, but also at strengthening national security. Monday's alternative fuel test of the Global Hawk UAV was considered one of the most challenging yet for the Air Force. The drone that flies at high altitudes and low temperatures was one of the last that the Air Force needed to test in its current spate of trial runs before its fleet...

While the services are being pretty tight lipped about their plans to achieve the billions in efficiency savings mandated by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, last week Air Force Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove gave a hint of one proposal the air service may have on the table; fuel savings. Yes, this seems like a no-brainer, especially since the Air Force has long said it needs to trim its gas consumption, but it’s how the service might do this that is interesting. “Is four-hours of reserve fuel on a C-17″ really necessary, Breedlove, who is in charge of Air Force plans, operations...

Cosmo Oil to supply Anchorage air cargo hub with up to 300,000 bbl monthly . . . . A Japanese oil refiner is seeking permission to bring jet fuel by tanker into the Port of Anchorage, a move that could help cure what has been a costly problem for the air cargo industry. Cosmo Oil of USA Inc., a Torrance, Calif., affiliate of Tokyo-based Cosmo Oil Co. Ltd., on July 10 applied to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan, or C-plan. Oil and fuel shippers are required to have a highly detailed...

An F110 engine that powers the F-16 Fighting Falcon recently began performance testing at Arnold Engineering Development Center using a 50/50 blend of JP-8 conventional aviation fuel and a bio-fuel derived from the oil contained in the seed of the camelina plant, commonly known as false or wild flax. "The testing recently initiated at AEDC will be the first dedicated, uninstalled engine tests conducted by the Air Force [on Hydro-processed Renewable Jet (HRJ) blended fuel]," said Jeff Braun, the Air Force's Alternative Fuels Certification Office director. "These will also be the first engine tests conducted by the Air Force [on...

An Air Force test pilot is scheduled to fly an A-10 Thunderbolt II jet aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base March 25 on a blend of biomass-derived and conventional JP-8 jet fuel. This will be the first flight of an aircraft powered solely on a biomass-derived jet fuel blend. The biomass-derived fuel used for this event is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ, and is part of a class of fuels derived from either plant oil or animal fat feedstocks. The feedstock source of the biomass powering the A-10 demonstration is camelina oil, a flowering plant in the...

(AFNS) -- To reduce reliance on military specification products, simplify the fuel supply chain and save money, Air Force Petroleum Agency researchers will conduct demonstrations to use commercially available jet fuel instead of military standard JP-8 fuel. The demonstrations of Jet A fuel versus JP-8 fuel will occur at Dover Air Force Base, Del.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; McChord AFB, Wash.; and Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn. Each base has C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III or C-130 Hercules primary-assigned aircraft. According to Master Sgt. Danny Walker, AFPA Jet A initiative program manager, each base will begin issuing Jet A...

Announces Latest Missteps In Never-Ending Race To Bottom Of CSI Rankings Attention, US Airways: it appears you have some serious competition for the title of Stingiest Major US Carrier. Starting next month, United Airlines will stop handing out free pretzels and cookies to coach fliers across North America... and will even drop free meal service in business class on most flights. "In the wake of high fuel prices and a challenging economic environment, we must continue to examine every aspect of our business and find new ways to improve our day-to-day operations through efficiencies that still meet our customers' expectations,"...

No more free lunch. United Airlines Drops Free Snacks In Coach And So Much More... The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that United Airlines will no longer offer free snacks in coach starting September 2nd. They are also dropping complimentary meals in business class except for "premium transcontinental flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to New York." Shockingly, this move coincides with the airlines' expansion of their "buy-on-board" food offerings, says the Chronicle. The adjustments are outlined in an internal United Airlines memo that was distributed to flight attendants Monday and obtained by The Chronicle. The changes are all...

PHOENIX - With the price of oil holding above $110 a barrel, everything from wood chips to chicken fat is being scrutinized as an alternative to traditional fuel. But when it comes to airplanes, finding the right mix poses a special challenge. "When you're in an airplane, you don't want your fuel to start solidifying," said Robert Dunn, a Department of Agriculture chemical engineer who is studying biodiesel jet fuel. The airline industry is aggressively pushing for homegrown alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel, while leaning on customers with a variety of new travel charges to help control a projected $61...

LAX: Air India's departure is part of a slate of expected cuts. Air India will withdraw its three weekly round-trip flights from Los Angeles International Airport in September, signaling a trend that finds more overseas carriers cutting service amid record-high fuel prices. Tuesday's announcement comes as international air carriers are expected to slash 213 weekly takeoffs and landings at LAX by November, an 11 percent drop compared to the same period last year. As a result, 33,452 fewer seats will be available to airline passengers each week by late fall, an 8.4 percent drop from last year, according to data...

Airline Company Flight Plans by: Rachel Paulk, August 11, 2008 Facing an energy crisis at home and punitive new regulations abroad, some of the largest airline companies are banding together to face the problems these trends engender. The leaders of three top aviation fuel management companies—Flight Sciences International, Sabena Flight Academy, and BMB Fuel Consulting Services—held a press conference Thursday, August 07, 2008, to announce their merger and the subsequent creation of Flight Sciences Global Partners. Michael Miller, President of Miller Air Group in Orlando, Fl, stated that “The airline industry is facing the toughest challenge since 9/11, with fuel...

LOS ANGELES (August 7, 2008) – Rentech, Inc. (AMEX:RTK) today announced that the Company has successfully produced synthetic fuels at its Product Demonstration Unit (PDU) in Commerce City, Colorado. Rentech’s PDU is the only synthetic fuels facility in the United States today producing transportation fuels. The facility is designed to produce approximately 420 gallons per day of synthetic jet and diesel fuels and demonstrates the successful design, construction and operation of a fully-integrated synthetic fuels facility utilizing the Rentech Process. D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech, said “The initial production run of ultra clean synthetic fuels at our...