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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Navy carrier group powered partly by biofuel sets sail |
| 2016-01-21 |
| The Navy on Wednesday launched its first carrier strike group powered partly by biofuel -- a mix made from beef fat -- calling it a milestone toward easing the military's reliance on foreign oil. I thought we didn't depend on foreign oil anymore . . . . The maritime branch touted the warships as the centerpiece of its "Great Green Fleet" -- part of a Navy-wide initiative that aims to draw 50 percent of its power from alternative energy in four years. We used to have a Navy that depended entirely on wind power a couple hundred years ago. What on Earth were we thinking when we switched to coal? For now, the mix fueling the ships is only 10 percent biofuels and 90 percent petroleum. The Navy originally aimed for a 50-50 ratio, but the cost was too high, though that could change as competition grows in the alternative fuel industry, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told The Associated Press. Yeah, I guess $50/gallon for Mabus and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack inspected the carrier group's ships Wednesday off San Diego, where the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS John C. Stennis and the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale were preparing for a seven-month deployment. The Stockdale and three other ships are the first to begin operating regularly with a blend of biofuels and petroleum. "It gives us a strategic advantage," Mabus said of the Navy weaning off fossil fuel. Turning to alternative energy will give the military options so it is no longer at the mercy of fluctuating oil prices and oil-producing nations that may not have U.S. interests in mind, he said. All we have to do is triple the amount of beef production. Uh oh, vegetarians might not like this. Vilsack called the Navy's "Green Fleet" a "tremendous opportunity" for the biofuel industry that will benefit farmers and create thousands of jobs. And raise the price of corn everywhere. The officials boarded a helicopter to watch the USS William P. Lawrence replenish its tanks with the blend of biofuel, which is made from beef fat from Midwestern feedstock and produced by California-based AltAir Fuels. I wonder what kind of fuel that helicopter had in its tank. Critics, including environmentalists, say biofuel production is too costly and on a large scale may do more harm than good if it requires the a lot of farmland, fertilizer and fuel to produce. Mabus contends no land for food production will be used for the biofuels. The Defense Department is the world's largest consumer of energy, and the Navy uses more than a third of that, but Mabus said going green is not just about reducing the Navy's carbon footprint. "In 2010, we were losing too many Marines in convoys carrying fossil fuels to outposts in Afghanistan, and the prohibitive cost of oil was requiring us to stop training at home in order to keep steaming abroad, a dangerous and unsustainable scenario," he said in a statement. Why don't we just invent a fuel made from poppy plants? All military branches are looking to cut their ties to foreign oil as part of a national security strategy. The federal government has invested more than $500 million into drop-in biofuels, which can be used without reconfiguring engines. I think I could make a killing buying fuel for $1.50/gallon and re-selling the same stuff to the Navy for $2.03/gallon. All ships and aircraft in the Navy have been certified to use biofuels. The fleet also includes nuclear vessels and hybrid electric ships. Nuclear vessels? The Navy bought 77 million gallons of the 10 percent biofuel mix at $2.05 a gallon to fuel its ships off the West Coast this year. Similar contracts are in the works to fuel ships elsewhere. Hey, let's sell this stuff to the Chinese. The purchase comes after a 2012 demonstration on the Navy's use of alternative fuels drew fire from lawmakers outraged at the $26-per-gallon price tag. Legislators passed a law prohibiting the Pentagon from buying biofuels in mass unless the price is competitive with that of petroleum. Well, the money was good while it lasted. Retired Navy Capt. Todd "Ike" Keifer, who has published a study on the Navy's plan, said adding 10 percent biofuels into the mix will not help the environment. He said he does not believe the Navy will ever get "any meaningful quantities of cost-competitive biofuels." Especially when it seems that any time they start screwing with true petroleum fuel, my mileage goes down. Mabus said the technology is evolving quickly and, in the future, biofuel made from landfill waste, wood chips and even food waste may usher in lower prices for a blend with a higher content of biofuels. Let's experiment with throwing a few congressmen into the mix and see if that helps with the mileage. "That's going to continue to expand as the biofuel industry ramps up," he said. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #5 I've heard that they will replace those nasty shells or bullets with spitballs (made from 100% organic paper) and harsh (but Politically Correct) language. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2016-01-21 20:52 |
| #4 Shoveling snow provides a financial opportunity for high schoolers. But when I was a kid my brother and I would shovel snow of the widow on the block for free. She owned a corner house so twice the side walk. My mother insisted. |
| Posted by: Sven the pelter 2016-01-21 20:27 |
| #3 Green water fleet. How does one pronounce strategic advantage - with a Shooter McGavin finger-point or a karate double-punch with hiat! hiat! |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2016-01-21 18:49 |
| #2 Only once in 35 years of living in the same plac ein snow country has anyone every knocked on the door & offered to shovel my walk. My city used to provide free shoveling for those over 65, but they discontinued the offer as soon as I became eligible. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2016-01-21 17:56 |
| #1 BS is a kind of biofuel, if you think about it. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2016-01-21 17:54 |