SB 1409 Important to “Confront the Challenges of Climate Change and Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels”

SACRAMENTO—On behalf of the Truman National Security Project, which manages the Operation Free campaign for energy security, spokesman Benjamin Lowe released the following statement:

“We are proud to sponsor Senate Bill 1409, also known as the Energy Security Coordination Act. The Department of Defense and the State of California are already both aggressively pursuing policies that strengthen the energy security of the United States by promoting the development of clean, domestic energy sources. We need bold legislation like SB 1409 to confront the challenges of climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels.

“It is heartening to see bipartisan support for SB 1409 in the Senate. We applaud the Senators on both sides of the aisle who, with their support of SB 1409, have shown that energy and climate security aren’t about left or right—they’re about keeping America safe.  In particular, we thank Senators Pavley (Agoura Hills), Correa (Santa Ana), and Lieu (Torrance) for their leadership in authoring this legislation and serving as its champions in the Senate. Operation Free encourages the Assembly to pass this legislation and send it to Governor Brown for his signature without delay.

“The Department of Defense recognizes that climate change is a strategic threat to the national security of the United States. By displacing millions of people, wiping out food supplies, and causing extreme weather, climate change turns weak states into breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism. Going after the root causes of climate change makes the world more stable and secure.

“Our dependence on oil also endangers our national security by exposing us to the volatile international commodities market, and ensuring we help fund hostile regimes and organizations.

“As America’s largest clean energy economy, and the home of thirty major military installations, California is a natural ally for the Department of Defense.  The next generation of biofuels can be grown and refined here.  California firms are already benefiting from the investments that the military is making in clean energy.  For example, a Baker Electric Solar project delivers 1.5 megawatts of solar energy to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California. SB 1409 ensures that California capitalizes on every opportunity to assist the Department of Defense in advancing our nation’s energy security objectives.”

Operation Free is a coalition of veterans and national security organizations dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project. Click here to read about the Department of Defense’s decision to identify climate change as a threat multiplier.

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Comments (2) · Leave a Comment

• Good for Operation* Free!!!

  How can PermaCity Solar Help solarize the Armed Forces?

  We are already solarizing the Elementary Schools of Santa Monica & several High Schools of LAUSD.
  Herb Mendelsohn → Thursday, May 31, 2012 09:05 pm

• Herb,
  Glad to hear you’re making progress on renewable energy in CA. I think that DoD Procurement Technical Assistance Centers help guide companies in finding and bidding for military contracts, including energy programs.
  Thanks for reading!
  Victoria Glynn → Saturday, June 2, 2012 10:53 am