The Defense Department is working on a reprogramming request that, if approved by Congress, could provide funding to keep the Air Force’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) alternative fuel certification effort alive, according the Air Force’s biofuels certification czar.
Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Division (AFCD) chief Jeff Braun said yesterday in an email the reprogramming request could be worth as much as $10 million, which he said would enable the AFCD to continue the Air Force’s portion of the tri-service ATJ effort. Absent this funding, the Navy and Army will be forced to assume these responsibilities, according to Braun.
“Currently, all certification office manpower has been reassigned, with the exception of me,” Braun said. “Should this reprogramming action come to fruition, we will be required to re-build the office…quickly.”
Braun said he didn’t know exactly when the request would hit Capitol Hill, but could only say “soon.”
The AFCD is still scheduled to stand down Saturday due lack of funding, unless the reprogramming request is approved. A previous estimation of required funding to keep the ATJ effort going was $21 million.
Braun said his office had pursued additional funds since last summer (Defense Daily, Dec. 19).
The Air Force affirmed last summer in an initial feasibility demonstration ATJ is a viable alternative to power the service’s aircraft. ATJ is a cellulosic-based fuel that can be derived using wood, paper, grass or anything that is a cell-based material, according to an Air Force statement. The sugars extracted from these materials are fermented into alcohols, which are then hydro-processed into the aviation-grade kerosene used for aviation fuel.
The Air Force has spent a substantial amount of money over the years developing alternative fuels that can be “dropped-in,” or used in any Air Force jet without modifying engines for use. DoD has also encouraged this as a way of weaning the services off of traditional, petroleum-based fossil fuels that are often obtained from adversaries of the United States (Defense Daily, Jan. 25).