The U.S. Air Force’s demonstration squadron, Thunderbirds, is a sight to see. The pilots make their planes soar, swoop, and swirl in perfect synchronization, performing aerial maneuvers with hairline precision and hair-trigger reaction time.

And for the first time on May 20, two aircraft performed precision aerial maneuvers using biofuel, making the Thunderbirds the first Department of Defense aerial performance team to fly on this type of fuel.

The Air Force is testing and evaluating biomass fuels derived from plant seed oil, animal fat, and waste oils and greases. To date the Air Force has tested and certified biofuel as a 50 percent blend with regular jet fuel in three aircraft.

With motive fuel prices skyrocketing, Middle East military action escalating, and greenhouse gas emissions concerns exploding, some organizations, such as The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), support a national commitment to making July 4 Energy Independence Day as a show of patriotism.

Brazil no longer needs imported gasoline, according to Petrobras, Brazil’s state-run energy company. Petrobras said that currently ethanol produced from sugar cane has increased to the point where no more gasoline imports are needed, at least for the time being, Reuters reported.

Stars, Racing Stripes, and Moonshine

The nation’s motorsports are using biofuels too.

All race cars competing in the Indy 500 ran on ethanol as long ago as May 2007. When announcing the change, legendary car-racing champion Bobby Rahal called it “a tribute to the spirit of American ingenuity and innovation.”

It was only a matter of time before domestically produced renewable ethanol made its way into NASCAR®. The race car fuel will switch to Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol blend fuel made with corn grown in the U.S. in three major national series races in the 2011 season.

Driver Clint Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevrolet sported the American Ethanol logo for the STP 400 race. “Ethanol is a truly American-made product that is good for the environment, helps our independence from foreign oil, gives America more jobs, and gives us as NASCAR drivers more horsepower,” said Bowyer.

Once slammed for allegedly increasing the price of food, both ethanol and biodiesel manufacturers have expanded the range of input sources to include cellulose, switchgrass, sugar cane, and algae, as well as recycled cooking oil, agricultural oils, and animal fats.

The National Biodiesel Board touts biodiesel and ethanol as alternatives to petroleum-based gasoline for their cleaner emissions and domestic sourcing.

The EPA has determined that biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent to 86 percent compared with petroleum diesel.

Closer to Independence by the Day

The BIO calculates energy independence by the days of the year.

Two years ago domestic petroleum production met U.S. transportation needs for 128 days, the organization said. BIO estimated that biofuel and advanced technology biofuel production—along with fuel efficiency measures—can extend domestic fuel supply until July 4 without needing to rely on imported oil or drill for oil in environmentally sensitive areas.

Now the question is, can electric vehicle technology take the U.S. to total energy independence the rest of the year?