Green fleet upsets senator

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WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- A Republican lawmaker said he was "deeply disturbed" by U.S. military programs that advance the use of biofuels in their fleets.

A U.S. Navy exercise in the Pacific Rim this week showcased the military's biofuels program. The U.S. Departments of Defense and Agriculture have announced plans to invest more than $500 million on domestic biofuels.

Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee questioned military officials about the green energy program, saying defense funds should target military efforts more specifically.

"I've been deeply disturbed, as have other members of this committee, on the use of the military for other agendas such as the 'green' agenda," committee member U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said in a statement.

Inhofe said the Navy spent $424 per gallon for 20,000 gallons of biofuels while the Air Force spent $59 per gallon for 11,000 gallons of biofuels for its program.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, however, said the reliance on foreign oil was one of the largest vulnerabilities facing the U.S. military.

U.S. lawmakers in May inserted language into a 2013 defense authorization bill that would prohibit the Pentagon from purchasing alternative fuels.