Military Might On Ag Products. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.
On Tuesday, Deputy Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations & Environment Jackalyne Pfannenstiel kicked off the first of several energy forums to look at ways to increase biofuels production and meet the Navy's renewable energy needs. The forum comes as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding recently signed by USDA and the Department of the Navy to encourage the development of advanced biofuels and other renewable energy systems. Merrigan says this way we can take back control of our energy future.
MERRIGAN: This isn't just a partnership between two massive departments; it's a partnership with rural Hawaii but also with states across the country. Biofuels are a key strategy but what we've learned is it's only great if it's approached regionally.
Hawaii was chosen to showcase what can be accomplished since they import 90% of the fuel required.
MERRIGAN: Every sector of our nation, every geographic area of our nation can contribute to this. The production of oilseed and dedicated biomass crops, the sustainable harvest, the forest, the crop residues, the development of wind, solar and other resources.
By 2012 the Navy and Marine Corps will demonstrate a Green Strike Group powered by biofuel. By 2016 the Strike Group will sail as a Great Green Fleet equipped with hybrid electric alternative power systems running on biofuel, and aircraft running on biofuel. By 2015 the goal is to cut petroleum use in its 50-thousand non-tactical vehicle commercial fleet in half, by phasing in hybrid, flex fuel and electric vehicles.
MERRIGAN: The abundance of our natural resources from wind and solar to geothermal for electricity and land for energy crops tells us that the U.S. can be a global leader producing sustainable, clean and economically beneficial energy.
Navy Secretary for Installations & Environment Jackalyne Pfannenstiel explains the benefits of a new partnership addressing energy development and resources.
PFANNENSTIEL: Secretary Mavis has set out some very ambitious goals for the sailors and marines in the Department of the Navy, to me, to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We're working now to start to execute towards those goals and biofuels will be a very important part of it. They won't be the only part of it, energy efficiency, other technologies, other ways of using electricity will also play in it but biofuels are here now and with the collaboration of the Department of Agriculture we are looking how to use them.
That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
