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U.S. Air Force tests biofuel at $59 per gallon

Reuters -- The U.S. Navy angered Republicans by spending $26 a gallon for biofuels for this week's Great Green Fleet demonstration, but the Air Force received little attention when it paid twice as much per gallon to test synthetic jet fuel last month.

The Air Force bought 11,000 gallons of alcohol-to-jet fuel from Gevo Inc, a Colorado biofuels company, at $59 a gallon in a program aimed at proving that new alternative fuels can be used reliably in military aircraft - once, that is, their pricing is competitive with petroleum, which now costs $3.60 a gallon.

The cost of the Air Force demonstration - $639,000 - was far less eye-catching than the $12 million the Navy spent for biofuels to power a carrier strike group on alternative energy for a day.

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Submitted Jul 16, 2012 By: Mudsprings

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RitaVespa Champion Author Oregon Posts:2,956 Points:787,385 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:18:51 PM Ignore RitaVespa Report Abuse WHAT?!?!
Sneakers55 Champion Author Houston Posts:51,247 Points:2,139,925 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:18:02 PM Ignore Sneakers55 Report Abuse On Jul 16, 2012 7:00:19 PM, singlemom27 wrote: >The military needs to learn the "Proof of Concept" method for doing things >on a very small scale to see if they're possible before investing large sums >of money on a theory. They do try things on a very small scale before they invest much money. For example, the military runs a multiengine plane with one engine running on the tested fuel and all the others running on conventional fuel so they don't crash the plane. Only if the fuel passes all requirements for a substitute fuel do they entrust it with a whole airplane. >Who thought powering an entire carrier strike group was a good way to test >something early in development? A carrier strike group runs their missions having sufficient fuel. The only way they can determine that all engines can run on the substitute fuel is to actually run an actual exercise on the new fuel. The logistics are a lot cheaper if the military adopts a standard fuel that has backup sources of fuel.
runningmp Champion Author Corpus Christi Posts:24,461 Points:2,744,300 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:16:27 PM Ignore runningmp Report Abuse >>singlemom27, The military needs to learn the "Proof of Concept" method for doing things on a very small scale to see if they're possible before investing large sums of money on a theory. Who thought powering an entire carrier strike group was a good way to test something early in development..<< Answer the simple question...who benefited from this endeavor? $12 million spent to power a carrier strike force for a day! Someone is going to have a good Christmas. Green Energy...the gift that keeps on giving...just not back to the taxpayers.
SandeeC Champion Author Ontario Posts:2,983 Points:459,105 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:12:46 PM Ignore SandeeC Report Abuse Yeah, you said it speedys.
NashGas Champion Author Nashville Posts:3,089 Points:661,580 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:12:35 PM Ignore NashGas Report Abuse End corporate welfare!
grammamNV Champion Author Nevada Posts:2,335 Points:372,425 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:12:07 PM Ignore grammamNV Report Abuse ahh, my tax dollars at work
Romey08 Champion Author Virginia Posts:6,311 Points:1,436,490 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:08:02 PM Ignore Romey08 Report Abuse When the volume of usage increases, the price should come down to something more reasonable.
Alaydown Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:5,093 Points:819,395 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:07:58 PM Ignore Alaydown Report Abuse singlemom27, this is the Obama regime's decision, not the military's.
OCTAPA Veteran Author Toronto Posts:493 Points:479,540 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:06:48 PM Ignore OCTAPA Report Abuse OMG
speedys Champion Author Utah Posts:6,995 Points:2,554,845 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:05:37 PM Ignore speedys Report Abuse It is way too much money paid to see if something will work.
singlemom27 Champion Author Ventura Posts:3,088 Points:635,210 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 7:00:19 PM Ignore singlemom27 Report Abuse The military needs to learn the "Proof of Concept" method for doing things on a very small scale to see if they're possible before investing large sums of money on a theory. Who thought powering an entire carrier strike group was a good way to test something early in development?
drobbbb Champion Author Maryland Posts:3,455 Points:808,235 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:59:15 PM Ignore drobbbb Report Abuse ok
Alaydown Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:5,093 Points:819,395 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:56:16 PM Ignore Alaydown Report Abuse LostAgain2009, you truly are lost! I have criticized Republicans many times. I call a spade a spade, unlike you left-wingers which continue to cry foul whenever someone uncovers stupidity by your lefty leaders. If a Republican is backing any of this, I would be all for replacing him/her with a conservative.
wulf2000 Champion Author Miami Posts:3,017 Points:1,385,830 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:54:36 PM Ignore wulf2000 Report Abuse Government owns the printing press and it can burn as much money as it wants.
DesertRat2011 Champion Author Riverside Posts:3,597 Points:481,805 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:53:37 PM Ignore DesertRat2011 Report Abuse Don't you mean that the U.S. tax payer paid that price for fuel!!
fire@53 Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:11,813 Points:2,766,050 Joined:May 2003	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:52:35 PM Ignore fire@53 Report Abuse More stupidity by our government spending money almost 15 times higher than they should be for a gallon of fuel.
LostAgain2009 Champion Author New Mexico Posts:2,390 Points:709,675 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:51:32 PM Ignore LostAgain2009 Report Abuse Forget it pupmer9x9. The likes of Alaydown will never believe anything that in any way hints of their biggest bogeymen: anything using green technology, anything done by the current administration, or anything that even hints at "liberal socialism". (We all do know that "global warming" is a socialist plot, don't we?). Now, if it was a Republican administration such costs would be fully justifiable and anyone that said otherwise would be labelled a traitor and a Commie. Go figure! [Edited by: LostAgain2009 at 7/16/2012 7:52:07 PM EST]
AAxterra Champion Author Tennessee Posts:3,749 Points:765,435 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:50:15 PM Ignore AAxterra Report Abuse ok
katmandue Champion Author Detroit Posts:8,051 Points:2,130,120 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:45:40 PM Ignore katmandue Report Abuse Oil is going end someday need to learn what works now.
a_lu_vasile Champion Author Maryland Posts:1,254 Points:773,875 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:45:30 PM Ignore a_lu_vasile Report Abuse ok
LostAgain2009 Champion Author New Mexico Posts:2,390 Points:709,675 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:43:51 PM Ignore LostAgain2009 Report Abuse Well said, heysailor, except IATA lists jet fuel currently at $2.80 gallon equivalent. Granted, this is an average across all blends, and the military pays a premium of 3-4x, but Reuters $3.6o isn't a ridiculous price to see quoted in an article.
cmsense Champion Author Columbus Posts:1,358 Points:165,345 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:40:19 PM Ignore cmsense Report Abuse heysailor- A voice of reason under a tent of imbeciles.
TXHUNTER1 Champion Author Austin Posts:2,711 Points:294,460 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:39:12 PM Ignore TXHUNTER1 Report Abuse Too high for tax payers.
ferinko Sophomore Author Ontario Posts:139 Points:274,505 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:38:15 PM Ignore ferinko Report Abuse not very cheap :)
Alaydown Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:5,093 Points:819,395 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:35:54 PM Ignore Alaydown Report Abuse These are just more examples of how the Obama regime has their priorities all wrong. The Obama supporters on this website continue to double down on stupidity by defending this action. Some unsuccessfully attempt to deflect criticism to Republicans without defending this waste of our precious tax dollars within the shrinking Defense budget. No, it is not a good idea to spend lots of money on a program that will jeopardize our military. The military needs fuel, and lots of it. You don't waste money on expensive fuel that you cannot easily resupply. So it is both wasteful and harmful to our national security. If you want Obama to continue such a program, let him pay for it himself out of his own pocket. [Edited by: Alaydown at 7/16/2012 7:38:50 PM EST]
1MustangSally Rookie Author Salt Lake City Posts:39 Points:2,205 Joined:Jul 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:32:07 PM Ignore 1MustangSally Report Abuse $12 Million for bio-fuels for 1 day?? OMG
pumper9x9 All-Star Author Colorado Posts:660 Points:126,625 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:30:45 PM Ignore pumper9x9 Report Abuse before they use they have to figure out how well it works. Maybe you naysayers can have that hammered into your thick skulls with a $200 hammer
big_mac64 Champion Author Tennessee Posts:10,593 Points:1,485,590 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:28:16 PM Ignore big_mac64 Report Abuse I was in the military, and know about how much is wasted...Americans have no idea!
carefrey Champion Author Orlando Posts:5,515 Points:1,155,485 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:24:42 PM Ignore carefrey Report Abuse That is crazy!
luvmyburgi Champion Author Ohio Posts:5,810 Points:956,220 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:24:21 PM Ignore luvmyburgi Report Abuse ok
largobob Champion Author Tampa Posts:18,075 Points:3,376,885 Joined:Dec 2003	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:24:05 PM Ignore largobob Report Abuse A voice of reason from heysailor. Thank you.
CISA Champion Author Orange County Posts:5,927 Points:1,395,010 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:23:07 PM Ignore CISA Report Abuse what a BHO bargain!
craigrm Champion Author Connecticut Posts:1,735 Points:576,005 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:22:52 PM Ignore craigrm Report Abuse sweet
mikaye Champion Author Cleveland Posts:3,814 Points:861,410 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:21:32 PM Ignore mikaye Report Abuse most biofuels are more expensive and less efficient
sprocketsplines Champion Author Washington Posts:1,662 Points:856,640 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:20:49 PM Ignore sprocketsplines Report Abuse Fortunately it was just a test run but it is still an indicator how big the military procurement gravy train could be.
heysailor Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:9,567 Points:2,329,645 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:20:42 PM Ignore heysailor Report Abuse I remember Rick Santorum questioning the need for buying cruise missiles to replace the ones we shot during the first Gulf War. We had used a lot of them and needed to replenish our stocks so they would be on hand when we needed them again. You can't build them overnight. So it is with the current chickenhawk stance on biofuels. Yes, it's expensive but we need to develop the capability and develop it to a large scale. At some point petroleum based fuel might not be available at any cost and we'll need the stuff made from slime. The Republicans stopped being conservative a long time ago. Now they're just regressive and backward. Shortsighted too. As for Reuters' figure of $3.60 a gallon. For what, gas down at the 7-11? Not for certified and tested JP4 and JP5 not to mention DFM which some ships still burn. It hasn't been that cheap for decades. The cost to the military is quite a bit higher. Just go ask a supply officer.
carinthuist Champion Author San Francisco Posts:2,221 Points:326,010 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:20:18 PM Ignore carinthuist Report Abuse Yes why not.
Bonito Champion Author Dayton Posts:15,728 Points:3,003,895 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:20:11 PM Ignore Bonito Report Abuse SOMEONE HAD TO TEST THE FIRST COMPUTER OVER AND OVER GAIN!
crashintuc34 Champion Author Tucson Posts:4,032 Points:807,890 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:16:30 PM Ignore crashintuc34 Report Abuse Your tax dollars at work.
camel1 Champion Author Minnesota Posts:8,250 Points:2,262,615 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:16:24 PM Ignore camel1 Report Abuse It will be expensive to prove biofuels can do the job. Hopefully the costs will decrease if mass production happens. Otherwise they are too expensive
LegoVasavouchi Champion Author Oklahoma Posts:1,659 Points:114,390 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:13:07 PM Ignore LegoVasavouchi Report Abuse Fascinating.
Tiput Champion Author Ottawa Posts:1,980 Points:461,125 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:12:57 PM Ignore Tiput Report Abuse ok
GLCSHADOW Champion Author Oregon Posts:1,616 Points:1,883,710 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:08:14 PM Ignore GLCSHADOW Report Abuse You know them Giverment Agencies have your tax money to burn.
bradley1969 Champion Author Wisconsin Posts:1,518 Points:327,330 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:06:56 PM Ignore bradley1969 Report Abuse WHEN WILL ALTERNATIVE FUELS BECOME CHEAPER THAN OIL? PROBABLY 2 DAYS AFTER EVERYONE IS DEAD.!!!!!!!!!!
Bruno44 Champion Author Texas Posts:7,054 Points:1,764,195 Joined:Sep 2007	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:05:13 PM Ignore Bruno44 Report Abuse Good point by k2kipp.
adr47 Champion Author Saskatchewan Posts:5,667 Points:1,178,750 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:04:56 PM Ignore adr47 Report Abuse Expensive test. Hope the production stuff is more reasonable??
preacherjohn Champion Author Modesto Posts:3,970 Points:1,914,885 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 6:01:23 PM Ignore preacherjohn Report Abuse Woo way out of line.
1Boog Champion Author Lincoln Posts:5,951 Points:1,196,925 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 5:58:50 PM Ignore 1Boog Report Abuse sounds like that fuel needs to get way cheaper!!
DrLyon Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,635 Points:1,208,205 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 5:57:56 PM Ignore DrLyon Report Abuse Let's keep developing, but make it cheaper...
Tommy4Wheel Champion Author Wilmington Posts:32,881 Points:3,101,570 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 5:56:51 PM Ignore Tommy4Wheel Report Abuse Obama's Fault!
fallbaby All-Star Author Indiana Posts:703 Points:304,990 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 16, 2012 5:56:21 PM Ignore fallbaby Report Abuse WOW!