An oilseed that can grow in arid portions of Eastern Washington could one day supply fuel for commercial and military aircraft, power Navy ships and give livestock an important heart-healthy nutrient.
Camelina, a member of the mustard family, produces an oil that shows so much promise as an aviation biofuel that 14 major airlines have an agreement with a Seattle-based company to buy up to 750 million gallons of the fuel.
Airline and aircraft manufacturers that are part of the Airline Transportation Action Group have committed by 2015 to making biofuels 1 percent -- about 500 million to 600 million gallons -- of their annual fuel consumption, a Boeing executive said in February at a clean energy conference in Kennewick.
The Air Force and Navy also have contracts with a biofuels company to supply it with camelina-based fuel for aircraft and ships
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