The headline reads like a piece from the Onion: “U.S. Navy Paying $15/Gallon for Green Fuel.” But it’s real enough. Fresh from its success with Solyndra, the Obama administration is slated to spend $12 million to buy a biofuel/gasoline blend that runs $15 per gallon to power a portion of the Navy’s fleet in a demonstration project.

“We are doing this for one simple reason,” explained Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. “It makes us better war fighters. Our use of fossil fuels is a very real threat to our national security and to the U.S. Navy’s ability to protect America and project power overseas.”