We've been hearing the warnings for years now: America is dependent on foreign oil; America pumps $300 billion each year into the economies of hostile governments; the future of this country and our nation's security hinges on our ability to support ourselves and supply our own food and fuel.

So, in a multi-million dollar attempt to address these issues, the Administration is teaming up with the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Energy, and the Navy to invest in technology that will simultaneously increase homeland security, while promoting domestic job creation.

"Here's the plan," USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, told reporters at a White House Rural Economic Forum at Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta last month. "You've got a government that spends less, but invests wisely. You've got an economy that again gets into the business of making, creating and innovating, which is precisely what agriculture has done."

Rural America has been working hard to prove that biofuels are the "here-and-now" answer to our energy problems, and now they will have the opportunity to implement the advanced biofuel technology on a much bigger scale. The test phase is officially over.

Each department will invest up to $510 million over the course of the next three years—in partnership with the private sector—to produce drop-in aviation and marine biofuels that will power military and commercial transportation.

The term "drop-in" refers to the fuel's compatibility with the current engines. The biofuels must burn exactly the same as the fossil fuels in the same fuel systems. The only place where the two may differ is in the amount of emissions produced (biofuels will often emit less) and the fact that the biofuels are sustainable, renewable, and most importantly, ours.

"Biofuels are an important part of reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and creating jobs here at home," President Obama said in his announcement of the partnership.

"But supporting biofuels cannot be the role of government alone. That's why we're partnering with the private sector to speed development of next-generation biofuels that will help us continue to take steps towards energy independence and strengthen communities across our country."

The plan is beneficial for everyone involved. Not only will this serve as a springboard to job creation in various sectors such as construction, farming, and refining, but it will also directly increase the security of our nation by fueling military transportation and making us less dependent on foreign oil.

The goal is to show that the biofuels work and "show that it's made in America that we don't have to import oil from foreign countries that don't like us and the great job opportunities here," Vilsack said.

In a tremendous show of confidence in the initiative, Navy Secretary Ray Mebus pledged that the Navy will get at least half of its energy sources—both afloat and ashore—from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020. In order to meet this goal, the Navy will be demanding 8 million barrels of domestic biofuels a year.