Air Force, U.S.

THE U.S. AIR Force began as the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. This division was established on August 1, 1907, to manage air machines, military ballooning, and other military matters of the air. Since then, the Air Force has become an institution independent of the U.S. Army, and with its vast increase in size and fuel usage has a considerable effect on the environment. The U.S. Air Force is conscious of greenhouse gas emissions and their potential link to global warming. For example, the Air Force voluntarily purchased over one billion kilowatt-hours of green energy in 2006: 39 percent biomass, 38 percent wind, 16 percent geothermal, and 7 percent other. The power was purchased from several sources, including American Electric Power, Rocky ...