National Farmers Union leaders want a provision in the FY 2017 Defense Department Appropriations bill removed. That provision would exempt the military from using biofuels. NFU President Roger Johnson says Congress shouldn’t be going into minor details when it comes to how the defense department conducts its business.

He says the military’s use of biofuels has encouraged the development of newer technologies that are often kept from the market due to exploitative practices of big oil.

Johnson says allowing the defense department to utilize biofuels pays dividends for everyone from agriculture to the military itself and the general public.

If the provision is left in the appropriations bill it would prohibit federal agencies from buying synthetic fuels with a larger greenhouse gas footprint than traditional petroleum.