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May 3, 2012

Supporting Our Troops With Better Energy Options

By Lauren Wolfe

By: Frank Kendall

Original Link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/03/supporting-our-troops-better-energy-options

Last night, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addressed an Environmental Defense Fund reception in honor of the Department of Defense’s leadership in advancing our nation’s security though transformative 21st century clean energy and environmental initiatives.

He remarked that from a security and financial perspective, we have a deep commitment to finding better energy options. For example, reducing the amount of fuel used by our equipment translates to fewer loads for supply convoys, which insurgents have targeted in places like Afghanistan. And the less we spend on fuel and energy, the more we have for other critical defense priorities. That’s why, next year, DoD will invest almost $3 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy. You can read Secretary Panetta’s remarks here.

For our combat forces, we’re investing in better generators and microgrids for our combat bases, hybrid engines for ships and vehicles, and more efficient aircraft. While some of these investments are long-term, many will result in immediate returns. For example, the Marine Corps’ Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB) has been testing energy efficient and renewable technologies that make the Marines more flexible, agile, and lethal.

3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment deployed in 2010 with first generation ExFOB gear. The results spoke for themselves. The Marines operated two patrol bases solely on renewable energy, reduced energy use by 90 percent at a third base, and executed a three-week foot patrol without battery resupply, reducing load on Marines by 700 lbs. In less than a year, technologies demonstrated at this first ExFOB were deployed widely to combat forces in Afghanistan.

For our bases here at home, we are investing to reducing our costs and improve our energy security.  A key to this is advanced technology.  The Department’s strategic guidance depends on maintaining our historic position as a technology leader – and energy plays a critical part.  It’s why we are using our installations as a test bed for new energy technologies like improved lighting, high-efficiency HVAC systems, better windows, and new roofs.

Additionally, as the White House announced last month, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have committed to adding about three gigawatts of renewable energy to these bases in the coming years – enough to power 750,000 homes representing one of the largest commitments to clean energy in the Nation’s history.

Finally, here at the Pentagon, I joined Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Undersecretary for Installations and Environment, in hosting the 2012 Commander in Chief’s award for Installation Excellence yesterday.  The award is the highest honor a military installation can receive and recognizes the efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations.  One of the award’s criteria is energy conservation.  In 2011, one of the awardees, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base reduced its utility costs by nearly 8 percent, integrated solar water heaters into new construction projects, and retro-commissioned five facilities for a 30 percent reduction in energy use.

Other awardees include Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL; Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Depot San Joaquin, TX; Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA; and Fort Steward/Hunter Army Airfield, GA.  These installations have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to our energy savings strategy and are saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year in energy costs.

Improving our energy and environmental security helps our troops better carry out their mission – to defend the nation.  As DoD’s chief buyer, that’s why I’m interested in finding the best energy technologies to meet these needs.

Frank Kendall is the Acting Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics at the Department of Defense.

Apr 27, 2012

Sign the Petition Supporting the Wind PTC

By John McCauley

The PTC is in trouble. Even though it expires at the end of the year, manufacturers are laying off workers today.  If it is not extended very soon there will be no new wind projects in 2013 and 37,000 Americans will lose their jobs.

Log on to www.windenergysecurity.com and sign the petition calling on Congress to extend the Wind Production Tax Credit.

Apr 25, 2012

Vets Group: Wind Energy Critical to America’s Security

By John McCauley

Congressman Thompson, Vets, Industry Experts Call For Wind Power Tax Credit Extension

WASHINGTON—Today, at a press event, Congressman Mike Thompson joined retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General John Castellaw; Mike Breen, Vice President of the Truman National Security Project; and Jeff Duff, President of veterans clean jobs training company Airstreams Renewables, to talk about how critical renewing the Wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) is to America’s economic and national security. The Wind PTC is an important federal program without which 37,000 jobs and $10-20 billion of domestic investment will be lost next year and thereafter.
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Congressman Thompson, a Vietnam Army veteran and member of the House Ways and Means Committee, made clear the urgency of passing an extension to the Wind PTC. “We must do everything we can to encourage the use of clean, renewable, and domestic sources of energy. That is why I have coauthored legislation that would extend the Production Tax Credit,” said Thompson. “Extending these tax incentives will give businesses certainty, help create and save more than 50,000 American jobs in the next four years, and allow us to strengthen our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Congress should act now.”
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Wind power is a critical part of America’s energy independence. Wind is the second-fastest growing source of energy in America, producing enough power for ten million American homes. This growth in wind energy is possible because of the Wind PTC, which rewards companies for producing clean wind power. This federal tax incentive program provides 2.2 cents to companies for every kilowatt-hour produced for their first ten years of operation.
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“We’re going to need sources of energy we can rely on in the twenty-first century,” said Breen. “Wind energy is already a clean source of power that provides energy for ten million American homes. We should be doing whatever we can to take advantage of this reliable source of domestic power. If Members of Congress take America’s energy security seriously, they will work quickly to renew the Wind Production Tax Credit.”
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Learn more at www.OperationFree.net. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project.

Apr 19, 2012

RGGI Is Good For National Security

By Lauren Wolfe

Operation Free
Secure America with Clean Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2012

CONTACT
Stephanie Dreyer, (914) 715-6087

VETERANS: RGGI IS GOOD FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
In anticipation of today’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee meeting of the New Hampshire Senate on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Operation Free veteran Michael Breen, Vice President of the Truman National Security Project, released the following statement:

“As a native of the Granite State and a former Captain in the US Army, I strongly believe that participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) means a stronger New Hampshire and a stronger America.

Oil heats more than half of New Hampshire’s homes during the winter, and New Hampshire ranks fourth in the country in energy costs. And oil isn’t just expensive; it’s dangerous. America’s addiction to this single source of fuel – an addiction that Osama bin Laden referred to as America’s “Achilles heel” – drains our economy and enables our enemies.

Recognizing this weakness, our military is already developing the next generation of secure, clean energy sources. Because one in every 24 fuel convoys through the mountains of Afghanistan leads to an American casualty, the Army and Marine Corps are using solar panels on the front lines to reduce the need for oil. The Navy is preparing to sail a carrier strike group – the “Great Green Fleet” – purely on biofuels by 2016. And efficiency renovations in buildings ranging from base gymnasiums to the Pentagon itself mean the military is using less energy and less money to run its operations.

Through RGGI, New Hampshire has the opportunity to tap into that innovative spirit. New Hampshire can create jobs, keep energy costs down, and keep American service members safe by leading the country in these technologies. But to do that, our civilian leaders must match the military’s commitment to energy security. I strongly encourage the New Hampshire Senate to continue the Granite State’s membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.”

Operation Free is a coalition of veterans that advocate for clean, renewable energy security. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net. Operation Free is a campaign of the Truman National Security Project.

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Apr 11, 2012

Big news in military clean energy initiatives

By Yalda Mostajeran

The Obama Administration made some big announcements today about the next steps the Department of Defense will be taking to use clean energy to keep America safe.

The Ground Systems Power and Energy Lab (GSPEL) will support the Army Green Warrior Convoy, which will be used to test fuel cell, alternative fuel and other green friendly technologies.

And the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) launched a competition today challenging the best scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs of our country to improve civilian and military accessible energy storage devices. It’s a battle of the brightest to create more effective energy storage for war equipment. Improved reliability of military aircraft generators, reduced need for fuel convoys, and new generations of hybrid vehicles have already been achieved thanks to ARPA-E’s technologies.

Photo Courtesy of  The U.S. Army via Flickr

The Department of Defense also announced today one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history. By 2025, three gigawatts of wind, biomass and geothermal renewable energy will be developed on Army, Navy, and Air Force installations. This effort will help the Air Force, Navy and Army attain their goal of developing one gigawatt renewable energy each by 2016, 2020 and 2025, respectively.  The use of alternative energies ensures that our troops can continue to function even when the U.S. electricity grid is down.

Our troops are on the path to being less dependent on foreign oil, thus ensuring more combat effectiveness overseas. The dollars saved at the gas pump for American civilians is an added bonus. Coupled with President Obama’s challenge to the Departments of Navy, Energy and Agriculture to accelerate the creation of drop-in biofuels for not only military but commercial use as well, the entire nation is now progressing towards better energy security.