Defense spending bill boosts alternative fuels

A bill was passed by the Senate right before the holidays that might be of interest to those of us who follow alternative fuels. H.R. 1815, a $453 million defense spending bill, funds studies to evaluate the past usage of E85 and Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) fuels by the U.S. military, forecast the military's E85 needs through 2012, assess the availability of E85 commercially now and in the future, review the actions of the Dept. of Defense thus far to work with organizations and companies to expand the availability of alternative fuels, as well as an assessment of how the military can store and distribute more of it.

These provisions would seem to indicate a strong statement on behalf of the government to make alternative fuels more commercially viable. The reports are due 90 days after the enactment of the bill.