What Are the Impacts to National Security for the Department of Defense to Comply With the Mobility Fuel Requirements in the Clean Air Act of 1990?
Abstract
The Department of Defense's (DoD) strategy to minimize the number of bulk fuels conflicts with provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAA-90). When DoD uses JP-8 in ground vehicles, it must meet the Environmental Protection Agency regulations for diesel emissions. Diesel fuel can't exceed 0.05 percent sulfur by weight, but the specification for JP-8 allows 0.30 percent sulfur by weight. So ground units continue to use diesel fuel in CONUS and convert to JP-8 during deployment. This will affect readiness because JP-8 cleans diesel residue from fuel systems and requires a couple of fuel filter changes to eliminate the problem. Is this conflict a show stopper or perhaps the apparent conflict is really not a problem at all? My premise is that DoD can overcome this conflict by using Low Sulfur JP-8 to ensure high readiness. Two potential obstacles could prevent setting up that policy. If sufficient quantities of Low Sulfur JP-8 aren't available, then implementation is irrelevant. Prohibitive cost could also make this option infeasible. Other options are also explored. In summary, the DoD can retain the great operational and environmental advantages of a single fuel on the battlefield by switching to Low Sulfur JP-8. Low Sulfur JP-8 may offer similar benefits to commercial airlines and the transportation industry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA288667
Entities
People
- James E. Wright
Organizations
- National Defense University