Originally published November 15 2005
U.S. military makes use of biodiesel in large transport vehicles
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to retired Navy Cmdr. Leo Grassilli, the Marine Corps used 844,000 gallons of B20 biodiesel in 2003, and projections for 2005 are that Camp Pendleton and other bases nearby will use more than a million gallons.
At Camp Pendleton, just north of San Diego, for example, the semis that haul the Marines' 70-ton M-1 tanks have been running B20, a mix of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, for more than two years.
So far, the military is not running biodiesel in tanks or other equipment that could get sent into battle zones.
But at bases in the United States, use of the environmentally friendly fuel is growing rapidly.
This year, Camp Pendleton and other nearby bases alone expect to use more than a million gallons.
"We've been told we're the No. 1 user of biodiesel in the U.S.," says Gary Funk, the fleet manager for Marine Corps vehicles there.
All told, the military will use more than 6 million gallons of biodiesel this year, according to the Defense Energy Support Center, the government agency that supplies the military with fuel.
The Navy and Marine Corps burn through nearly 2 billion gallons of diesel a year, says Grassilli.
Earlier this year, the Department of the Navy ordered all Navy and Marine installations in the United States to begin using biodiesel when possible.
One advantage of biodiesel, say military officials, is that it delivers the same performance as petroleum diesel, but is far less damaging to the environment.
"There's no loss of power, and we get the same mileage," says Donald Schregardus, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for environmental programs, "and the vehicles are cleaner.
The new fuel is also helping the military meet a presidential mandate to federal agencies, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, that requires the government agencies to begin using alternative fuel vehicles.
"We're hauling tanks up grades that average 7 percent for a couple of miles, and we've had absolutely no problems with it," Funk says.
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