Navy Chief Urges Congress to Support Biofuels

The Navy's top official says he thinks federal lawmakers will come around on the branch's ambitions to ease its use of foreign oil once they understand it's not an environmental move. It's a defense strategy.

Published

10 months ago

Categories

US, US Politics, Science, Climate & Environment

Topics

Politics & Government, Military, Alternative Energies, United States

People

John Mc Cain, Ray Mabus

Places

United States of America

Transcript

The Navy's top official says he thinks federal lawmakers will come around on the branch's ambitions to ease its use of foreign oil once they understand it's not an environmental move. It's a defense strategy. (July 19) [VOICE-OVER] (Navy Secretary Ray Mabus) "One of the things you better do is take care of those vulnerabilities." THE NAVY'S TOP OFFICIAL SAYS EASING THE MILITARY'S DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL IS NOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL MOVE--IT'S A DEFENSE STRATEGY...AND HE'S URGING CONGRESS TO SUPPORT A SWITCH TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS. (Mabus) "We're not doing it to be faddish, we're not doing it to be green. We're not doing it for any other reason except it takes care of a military vulnerability that we have," NAVY SECRETARY RAY MABUS LED A MILITARY DEMONSTRATION OF THE POWER OF BIOFUELS ABOARD THE U.S.S. NIMITZ HELICOPTERS, FIGHTER JETS AND DESTROYER SHIPS THAT USE A 50-50 BIOFUEL BLEND--INSTEAD OF STANDARD PETROLEUM-BASED FUELS THIS IS THE NAVY'S LARGEST TEST TO DATE--450,000 GALLONS OF BIOFUELS...AT $26 PER GALLON, IT COST NEARLY $12 MILLION...THE DEMONSRATION COMES LESS THAN ONE MONTH AFTER THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE VOTED TO PROHIBIT MILITARY SPENDING ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS--WHENEVER THE COSTS EXCEED THAT OF TRADITIONAL FOSSIL FUELS. "it's the Navy. It's the American military. But, it's also American business, American airlines, American transportation that will be the market and will make things like biofuels, things like solar, things like wind very competitive. ARIZONA SEN. JOHN MCCAIN--AND THE COMMITTEE'S TOP-RANKED REPUBLICAN--SAYS BIOFUELS ARE A MISPLACED PRIORITY. NAVY OFFICIALS HOPE DEMONSTRATIONS LIKE THIS ONE SUPPLY A COUNTER ARGUEMENT...THEY SAY FOSSIL FUELS FORCE AMERICA'S MILITARY TO RELY ON OTHER COUNTRIES FOR ENERGY AT THE WHIMS OF A VOLATILE OIL MARKET -- REQUIRE DANGEROUS FUEL DROPS--AND OFTEN TAKE VESSELS AWAY FROM COMBAT MISSIONS TO FUEL UP. MABUS SAYS HE THINKS THE NAVY WILL STILL MEET ITS GOAL OF GETTING HALF ITS ENERGY FROM ALTERNATIVE SOURCES BY 2020--ONCE LAWMAKERS SEE ITS REASONS FOR GOING GREEN. [SIGOUT/REPORTER, LOCATION, ASSOCIATED PRESS] (****END****) VIDEO SOURCE: AP VIDEO RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only