Non-Subscriber Extract
Congressional report set to fuel debate on USAF's energy alternatives
By Caitlin Harrington
07 March 2008
The future of the US Air Force's (USAF's) efforts to develop environment-friendly alternatives to oil-based jet fuel is likely to be influenced by a new report commissioned by the US Congress.
Democratic and Republican senators on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee have asked the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering for a new "comprehensive study" comparing greenhouse gas emission levels for various energy alternatives.
The Democratic committee chairman, Senator Jeff Bingaman, announced that he, along with ranking member Senator Pete Domenici, had commissioned the report during a speech on 3 March at a USAF Energy conference in Arlington, Virginia. He called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to use the results of the report to shape its investments in energy alternatives.