As the Navy ran exercises with biofuel-powered planes and vessels
near Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday, top Obama administration
officials hit back against earlier criticism that the endeavor was a
waste of taxpayer dollars.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the "Great Green Fleet" test exercises for the first time proved that aircraft carriers, FA-18 jets and other equipment can run on advanced biofuels without any modifications - a major milestone in his quest to find an alternative to fuels derived from foreign oil.
"It was worthwhile to show that biofuels can compete and can be used in every single thing that we do in the Navy," Mabus said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Critics have blasted the exercises as too costly, especially as the Defense Department heads toward congressionally mandated budget cuts. In preparation for this week's exercise, the Navy spent $12 million buying 450,000 gallons of alternative fuels, which works out to just under $27 per gallon. Once blended 50-50 with petroleum fuel, the final cost settled around $15 per gallon.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has accused the Obama administration of trying to foist a "green agenda" on the Pentagon.
Read More.................
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the "Great Green Fleet" test exercises for the first time proved that aircraft carriers, FA-18 jets and other equipment can run on advanced biofuels without any modifications - a major milestone in his quest to find an alternative to fuels derived from foreign oil.
"It was worthwhile to show that biofuels can compete and can be used in every single thing that we do in the Navy," Mabus said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Critics have blasted the exercises as too costly, especially as the Defense Department heads toward congressionally mandated budget cuts. In preparation for this week's exercise, the Navy spent $12 million buying 450,000 gallons of alternative fuels, which works out to just under $27 per gallon. Once blended 50-50 with petroleum fuel, the final cost settled around $15 per gallon.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has accused the Obama administration of trying to foist a "green agenda" on the Pentagon.
Read More.................
No comments:
Post a Comment