People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Thursday expressed anger and disgust with a new ship fuel used by the Navy and made with beef fat.
“By using beef fat in its biofuel, the U.S. Navy is cutting costs at the expense of animals and the environment. Beef tallow is a byproduct of a cruel and violent industry that mutilates and kills millions of cows every year and is the single largest producer of greenhouse-gas emissions in the world,” said PETA Senior Director of Communications Colleen O’Brien.
The Navy and Agriculture Department this week started promoting the fuel for the “Great Green Fleet.” It is being fueled with a mixture of Midwest beef tallow and traditional fuel. The Navy is buying 77.6 million gallons of the alternative ship fuel blend for $2.05 per gallon.
But in a statement to Secrets, PETA rejected the green label. “There is nothing green about it,” said O’Brien.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the Great Green Fleet in Coronado, Calif., Wednesday during the deployment of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Stockdale, part of the group, is the first Navy ship running on an alternative fuel blend as part of its regular operations.
“The Great Green Fleet shows how we are transforming our energy use to make us better warfighters, to go farther, stay longer, and deliver more firepower. In short, to enable us to provide the global presence that is our mission,” said Mabus in a statement.
“Today’s deployment proves that America is on its way to a secure, clean energy future, where both defense and commercial transportation can be fueled by our own hard working farmers and ranchers, reduce landfill waste, and bring manufacturing jobs back to rural America,” added Vilsak.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
