Algal Biomass Organization Applauds U.S. Navy's Algae Biofuels Purchase

Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the ABO, released the following statement regarding the U.S. Navy's plans to purchase 450,000 gallons of drop-in biofuels, with 100,000 of those made from algal oils produced by ABO member Solazyme, Inc.

"On behalf of the U.S. algae industry, I want to recognize both the U.S. Navy and the Department of Agriculture for their continued support for domestic biofuels derived from algae. The purchase announced yesterday represents another milestone in our industry's progress in creating domestically produced, drop-in renewable biofuels.

"This purchase, as part of the Navy's effort to build a 'Great Green Fleet,' is also an important vote of confidence for an industry that is developing drop-in biofuels at a national scale to supply our military with a more secure source of fuel, create jobs across the country, and provide consumers with an alternative to imported oil.

"The algae industry is proud to be playing a role in the development of strategically important and scalable supplies of domestic fuels that don't compete with food production and have a minimized carbon footprint. As an industry we are well positioned to meet those challenges, and provide jobs and economic development across the country as we do it. We look forward to working with the U.S. Navy and Department of Agriculture as they continue to push for the commercial development of advanced biofuels derived from algae."