The U.S. Air Force believes it can approach a near-zero carbon footprint in the years ahead, according to a top Pentagon official.
“We can get ourselves very close to a zero carbon footprint,” said William Anderson, an assistant Air Force secretary during a briefing at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center last Friday. “Not today. Not tomorrow. But maybe a decade or so down the road.”
Anderson said the Air Force intends for its entire aircraft fleet to burn a domestically produced 50-50 blend of synthetic and petroleum based fuel by 2011. The goal is to reduce dependence on foreign oil, develop cleaner power sources and use carbon capture for commercial purposes, such as the growth of bio-fuels or increased oil well production.
As evidence of the commitment, Anderson stated that a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft, which burns more jet fuel than any other plane in the U.S. fleet, flew for the first time earlier in the week with only a coal-derived synthetic blend fuel onboard.
Coal-produced jet fuel produces 1.8 times more carbon dioxide than jet fuel from oil, according to Anderson, but he claims most of the additional amount can be captured during production. He said the Air Force can help promote cleaner sources of power, because of its purchasing power.
According to an Air Force fact sheet, in fiscal 2006, the military branch spent more than $5.7 billion, purchasing 2.6 billion gallons of aviation fuel.
Anderson, who is assistant secretary for installations, environment and logistics said jet fuel costs are responsible for 81% of the Air Force’s $7 billion a year energy budget.
Even though the Air Force is pursuing renewable energy, Anderson told reporters these sources are not capable of meeting demands. “Coal is going to play big in the future, we believe, based on all projections,” he said.
Dyess Air Force Base in Texas is powered completely by biomass fuel and a 14.2 megawatt solar-electric installation – the largest in the U.S.- will go online at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas in December. Additionally, Congress asked the branch to consider building small nuclear facilities at its bases, according to Anderson.
But the main focus appears to be on coal, which is abundant in the U.S. “We believe that we have to find an environmentally friendly way to mine coal and to burn coal,” he said. “We believe the technology is very close, and we believe that an organization with the market size and presence of the United States Air Force can help move technology forward to make coal a much cleaner and greener alternative across the board.”
Anderson said the air force is responding to the challenge issued by President Bush in 2006 for the nation to wean itself from its “addiction” to oil. Anderson said he wants to work with industry, as well as to sister air forces, in France and Britain to increase energy-saving efforts worldwide.
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