"Can't singlehandedly drive a market"

Mark Iden of the Defense Logistics Agency confirmed that the US government proposed to purchase several hundred million gallons of drop-in advanced biofuels by 2016, citing an expected demand of 336 million gallons from the Navy and 587 million gallons from the Air Force.

But Iden, likened the government, although a large customer, to a large commercial airline in terms of purchasing power, and cautioned biofuels producers that the Department of Defense would be a large buyer but not in enough quantity to “singlehandedly drive a market.”

At the same time, Chris Tindal of the US Navy said that the Navy would undertake a “biorefinery development analysis” to see how the Navy should participate in the development of advanced biofuels to ensure sufficient production and the lowest price for advanced biofuels.”