Biofuels Help Green the Department of Defense

A Fort Leonard Wood tactical army vehicle fills up with B20.

The Fort Leonard Wood (FLW) U.S. Army base in Waynesville, Missouri, has used biofuels to displace more than 205,000 gallons of petroleum.

In March 2003, FLW's Directorate of Logistics Transportation Division installed onsite E85 and B20 infrastructure in an effort to meet the petroleum reduction goal of Executive Order 13149, which challenges Federal agency fleets to reduce conventional fuel use by 20% compared to their 1999 level.

Today, FLW boasts one E85 station with a 10,000-gallon storage tank and four B20 pumps that run off two 12,000-gallon storage tanks. Annual reporting numbers show that FLW has used more than 154,000 gallons of E85 and 255,000 gallons of B20*.

Of the Fort's 1,113 vehicles, 734—or 66% of the fleet—run on alternative fuels. E85 powers the fleet's more than 300 light-duty flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), while B20 is used in roughly 425 tactical vehicles, which include cargo trucks, wreckers, and armament carriers.

Fuel keys ensure the drivers use alternative fuel, says Keith Bax, FLW Motor Transport Officer. Each vehicle is assigned a fuel key that will work only at the E85 and B20 pumps. Bax monitors the Fort's alternative fuel use using a computerized tracking system in the pumps. According to Bax, FLW now averages about 6,000 gallons of E85 and 19,000 gallons of B20 a month.

For more information, contact Keith Bax, FLW Motor Transport Officer.

*According to FLW fiscal year 2004 and 2005 reporting data.