Tallahassee. Oct 04, 2010.

Strong fuel efficiency standards can help save a soldier’s life.
Nick Breeze

The most dangerous job in Iraq, and now in Afghanistan, is probably not what you expect — it’s driving a truck.

Fuel convoys, snaking their way across the mountains of Afghanistan or, for the past few years, through the streets of Baghdad, are vulnerable and easily accessible targets for insurgents in these countries. The fact is that America’s reliance on oil — on the battlefield, and here at home — makes us vulnerable to foreign forces and unfriendly nations.

The failure of the Senate to act on energy legislation was a disappointment, but senators still have the opportunity to cut our dependence on oil and take advantage of clean, domestic energy production by raising fuel efficiency standards.

As a veteran who protected convoys during my tour in Iraq, I have seen how dangerous it is to be so dependent on a single source of energy. I am no longer willing to stand idly by while our men and women of the armed services are put in harm’s way to protect our oil interests abroad.

From a national security standpoint, our dependence on oil makes us extremely vulnerable. As a former soldier, I understand the value in going to unfriendly nations with the intent of protecting our country. However, I do not see the value in allowing our dependence on oil to put our troops in even more danger.

During my time in Iraq, I saw every day how dependent we were on fuel just to run basic necessities such as our vehicles and generators. We are paying huge costs to ensure that our bases overseas are getting the fuel they need to operate — both monetarily and in human lives.

On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency presented ambitious fuel efficiency goals that vehicles might be required to meet by 2025. A formal proposal will be made in September 2011.

We must make sure that these standards are just as aggressive as our stance against terrorism.

Raising gas mileage standards not only saves us a ton of money at the pump, it could save lives. Higher standards will make us more secure as a nation by making us less dependent on our enemies for fuel. Raising fuel efficiency standards is a win-win for us, though Big Oil and their band of lobbyists will try to tell a different story.

For full article click here

Comments (0) · Leave a Comment