The House Armed Services Committee has killed a $12 million military program in Hawaii to test biofuels in its jets and ships, Slate reports. 

Why? Members said the fuel was too expensive.

Killing a $12 million military program may seem like a paltry matter. The sum amounts to a mere 0.002 percent of the total defense budget. But the elimination of one such program this week by the House Armed Services Committee reveals—more brazenly than many larger tamperings—just how shortsighted, hypocritical, and beholden to special interests the custodians of national security can be.

And in a more damaging development for the industry, “Republic leaders passed an amendment barring the entire Defense Department from using any alternative fuels, for any purpose, if they’re more expensive than oil.”

Read the full column here. 

In Hawaii, where a number of companies have been working to commercialize biofuels, the news could further hamper efforts. Companies have told Civil Beat that they must have a buyer to test smaller amounts of the biofuel before they can scale up operations and reduce the fuel cost to a level that is competitive with petroleum.