Afghanistan gas station that cost $43 million to build.
Credit: pio3 via Shutterstock/Salon

The Department of Defense blew millions of tax dollars on a gas station — a very, very expensive gas station. A compressed natural gas automobile filling station in South Asia typically costs between $200,000 and $500,000 to build. The U.S. Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO), however, spent more than $43 million constructing one in Sheberghan, Afghanistan.

In a new report, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) called the project “an exorbitant cost to U.S. taxpayers.” “Even considering security costs associated with construction and operation in Afghanistan, this level of expenditure appears gratuitous and extreme,” added SIGAR, which noted that its investigation “was hindered by DOD’s lack of cooperation.”

Special Inspector General John Sopko said it is “likely the world’s most expensive gas station.”

The U.S. government said the goal of building the gas station was “to take advantage of Afghanistan’s domestic natural gas reserves.” […]