Airmen and soldiers in Alaska could one day be using alternative fuels for their operations.

The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency has announced it wants contractors to bid on a long-term deal to supply for those Air Force and Army cold weather warriors:

Mark Iden, deputy operations director of the Defense Energy Support Center, a part of the Defense Logistics Agency, said his agency is soliciting proposals from industry to supply a 50-50 blend of alternative and conventional fuels.

The agency wants the alternative fuels made through the Fischer-Tropsch process, a chemical process that converts carbon-based material like biomass, natural gas or coal to high-quality liquid products.

Officials say they want to let a minimum five-year purchase contract with options for extensions… a great departure from the agency’s typical one-year fuel purchase contracts.

Hmmm… maybe if the DoD wants to get a fuel that is earth-friendly and can stand up to the rigors of an Alaskan winter, maybe they should talk to our friends at the Indiana Soybean Alliance. As you might remember from the latest Domestic Fuel podcast, the ISA just recently successfully tested a 100 percent blend of biodiesel during a trip from Anchorage to the Arctic Circle… in temperatures well under 20 degrees below zero!