US Navy's Green Fleet sets sail....on bio-fuel at $26 a gallon

[Trajan]

I mean seriously people, do we effing need this, now? For god sakes conventional fuel for use is under $4 a gallon......


As the squeeze-fest from Friday's oil-spike wears off a little, it is perhaps worth noting just how astronomically insane the world gets when the terrible triumvirate of 'green' energy needs, defense spending, and government largesse come together. Why should we worry about 5c or 10c on a gallon of fuel down the local gas station when the US Navy (in all her glory) is willing to pay a staggering $26-a-gallon for 'green' synthetic biofuel (made we assume from the very same unicorn tears and leprechaun nipples that funded the ESM).


As Reuters reports, the 'Great Green Fleet' will be the first carrier strike group powered largely by alternative fuels; as the Pentagon hopes it can prove the Navy looks just as impressive burning fuel squeezed from seeds, algae, and chicken fat (we did not make this up). The story gets better as it appears back in 2009, the Navy paid Solazyme (whose strategic advisors included TJ Gaulthier who served on Obama's White House Transition team) $8.5mm for 20,055 gallons on algae-based biofuel - a snip at just $424-a-gallon.

more at-
The 'Green' Premium: 620% | ZeroHedge

 

[flacaltenn]

Priceless...

Why don't they issue GBLT colors to fly on Port Calls.. Cheaper thrills..

 

[bobgnote]

That's what happens when you queer development of industrial hemp, just to piss on Henry Ford.

You add COSTS, not value.

 

[Warrior102]

I mean seriously people, do we effing need this, now? For god sakes conventional fuel for use is under $4 a gallon......


As the squeeze-fest from Friday's oil-spike wears off a little, it is perhaps worth noting just how astronomically insane the world gets when the terrible triumvirate of 'green' energy needs, defense spending, and government largesse come together. Why should we worry about 5c or 10c on a gallon of fuel down the local gas station when the US Navy (in all her glory) is willing to pay a staggering $26-a-gallon for 'green' synthetic biofuel (made we assume from the very same unicorn tears and leprechaun nipples that funded the ESM).


As Reuters reports, the 'Great Green Fleet' will be the first carrier strike group powered largely by alternative fuels; as the Pentagon hopes it can prove the Navy looks just as impressive burning fuel squeezed from seeds, algae, and chicken fat (we did not make this up). The story gets better as it appears back in 2009, the Navy paid Solazyme (whose strategic advisors included TJ Gaulthier who served on Obama's White House Transition team) $8.5mm for 20,055 gallons on algae-based biofuel - a snip at just $424-a-gallon.

more at-
The 'Green' Premium: 620% | ZeroHedge

Navy's not a fun place anymore.

Glad I did my time in the good old days.

 

[Warrior102]

Priceless...

Why don't they issue GBLT colors to fly on Port Calls.. Cheaper thrills..

Back in the day when entering port, we'd "Man the Rails."

Under Obama's leadership, it's now called "Queering the Rails."

 

[Trajan]

well, when Reagan let Koop still wear his beard after letting the chief of naval ops in 84 85 rule out beards, I was pissed. I wasn't in the dept. of the navy anymore, but I still thought it was bullshit. friggin candy ass shit.

 

[waltky]

Oil industry gets turned down on biofuel request...

EPA brief explains decision to reject industry challenge to biofuels rule
8/20/12 - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a brief Monday explaining its decision to deny a petition that would have exempted refiners from part of a biofuel blending mandate.

The documents filed Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reveal the reasoning behind EPA's move to shoot down the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) challenge of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). EPA determined that enough advanced biofuels — generally understood to be made from non-food products — existed to meet that portion of the RFS for 2012. “EPA reasonably considered the production capacity likely to be developed throughout the year, while API would have EPA rely narrowly and solely on proven past cellulosic biofuel production,” EPA said in its brief. “EPA reasoned that lowering the advanced biofuel volume in these circumstances would be inconsistent with EISA’s [the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007] energy security and greenhouse gas reduction goals, and decided to leave the statutory advanced biofuel volume unchanged.”

The EPA refused API's request to get out of the RFS in May, inflaming the oil industry group and its Republican allies, who have said the RFS props up an industry that would not otherwise exist. They say EPA requires refiners to blend cellulosic biofuels — those made from non-edible feedstocks, such as yard waste or switchgrass — even though no such biofuels are produced domestically at commercial scale. EPA's argument for sticking with the RFS target might also play into GOP complaints that the agency is taking an activist approach to regulating carbon emissions.

API has charged in the past that EPA set an aspirational benchmark for cellulosic biofuels with the goal of creating a market, disregarding actual production capacity in the process. In lieu of blending actual gallons to meet that mark, API said that refiners were forced to purchase credits or import cellulosic biofuels to honor that obligation. The RFS requires refiners to blend 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels into traditional transportation fuel by 2022. Of those 21 billion gallons, 16 billion must come from cellulosic biofuels.

When Congress expanded the RFS through EISA, it predicted 2 billion gallons of advanced biofuels would be available in 2012. It said 500 million gallons of that would come from cellulosic biofuels. EPA revised the cellulosic target to 8.65 million gallons this year, but maintained in the court filing that enough other sources of advanced biofuels — such as Brazilian sugarcane ethanol and excess biodiesel — existed to satisfy the larger 2 billion gallon mark.

MORE

 

[skookerasbil]

Only the k00ks will celebrate.

 

[flacaltenn]

Oil industry gets turned down on biofuel request...

EPA brief explains decision to reject industry challenge to biofuels rule
8/20/12 - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a brief Monday explaining its decision to deny a petition that would have exempted refiners from part of a biofuel blending mandate.

The documents filed Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reveal the reasoning behind EPA's move to shoot down the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) challenge of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). EPA determined that enough advanced biofuels — generally understood to be made from non-food products — existed to meet that portion of the RFS for 2012. “EPA reasonably considered the production capacity likely to be developed throughout the year, while API would have EPA rely narrowly and solely on proven past cellulosic biofuel production,” EPA said in its brief. “EPA reasoned that lowering the advanced biofuel volume in these circumstances would be inconsistent with EISA’s [the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007] energy security and greenhouse gas reduction goals, and decided to leave the statutory advanced biofuel volume unchanged.”

The EPA refused API's request to get out of the RFS in May, inflaming the oil industry group and its Republican allies, who have said the RFS props up an industry that would not otherwise exist. They say EPA requires refiners to blend cellulosic biofuels — those made from non-edible feedstocks, such as yard waste or switchgrass — even though no such biofuels are produced domestically at commercial scale. EPA's argument for sticking with the RFS target might also play into GOP complaints that the agency is taking an activist approach to regulating carbon emissions.

API has charged in the past that EPA set an aspirational benchmark for cellulosic biofuels with the goal of creating a market, disregarding actual production capacity in the process. In lieu of blending actual gallons to meet that mark, API said that refiners were forced to purchase credits or import cellulosic biofuels to honor that obligation. The RFS requires refiners to blend 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels into traditional transportation fuel by 2022. Of those 21 billion gallons, 16 billion must come from cellulosic biofuels.

When Congress expanded the RFS through EISA, it predicted 2 billion gallons of advanced biofuels would be available in 2012. It said 500 million gallons of that would come from cellulosic biofuels. EPA revised the cellulosic target to 8.65 million gallons this year, but maintained in the court filing that enough other sources of advanced biofuels — such as Brazilian sugarcane ethanol and excess biodiesel — existed to satisfy the larger 2 billion gallon mark.

MORE

Central Planning has no clothes.... Or a plan evidently..

 

[Mr Natural]

When it comes to pissing away taxpayers money, nobody does it better than the US military.