Funding bill amendments target military biofuels

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) filed two amendments to a $984 billion government funding bill on Thursday that would gut the military's alternative fuels program.

The amendments already are drawing criticism the program's supporters, which are largely Democrats. Sen. Mark Udall's office said Thursday that the Colorado Democrat would fight whatever measure comes to the floor.

One would strip $114 million from the Army, Navy and Air Force's alternative energy research and development programs. The other would remove $60 million from the Defense Department's biofuels program.

The first would shift that money to the Army's operations and maintenance budget, while the second would go toward Defense-wide operations and maintenance.

“I am confident that we can make more sensible cuts in spending than severely reducing the Army’s operations and maintenance work. One area for savings is the Defense Department biofuels program, which requires the taxpayer to grossly overpay for fuel," Toomey said in a Thursday statement.

Toomey's amendments continue a battle over the alternative fuels program that heated up toward the end of last session.

Conservatives attempted to block the military's alternative fuels program through the Defense authorization bill. They argued the program and the fuels were too expensive when sequestration threatens $500 billion of Defense cuts through the next decade.

Democrats and a handful of Republicans defeated that effort. They said the alternative fuels program reduced costs by reducing the military's dependence on the volatile oil market.