On March 28, the Atlantic Council hosted a discussion of the risks and benefits of the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) biofuels policies and the ongoing efforts to reduce the department’s petroleum footprint.

As the largest organizational user of petroleum in the world and with fuel costs that continue to rise, the DoD faces financial, operational, and strategic risks. The discussion focused on DoD’s alternative fuels policy, provided a critical analysis of this policy, offered potential pathways for the commercial biofuels industry to mature enough to meet capacity and be cost-competitive, and provided views from an industry leader. The roundtable provides a particularly timely discussion with the arrival of the new Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and the unknown impacts of the federal budget crisis.

Moderated by 

Katherine Blakeley
Analyst in Defense Policy, Foreign Affairs, Defense & Trade Division
Congressional Research Service

Panelists

James T. Bartis, PhD
Senior Policy Researcher
RAND Corporation

Jan Koninckx, PhD
Global Business Director for Biorefineries
DuPont Industrial Biosciences

Adam Rosenberg, PhD
Deputy Director for Technology Strategy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy
US Department of Defense

Alejandro Zamorano-Cadavid
Biofuels Industry Specialist
Bloomberg New Energy Finance