Forbes’ Amy Westervelt recently began a series of articles taking a broad look at the military’s use of green technology to cut down its energy usage.  Part One of the series provides an overview of the military’s rationale for cutting down on fossil fuels and some examples of the steps it is taking to do so.  Among the experts she quotes is Army veteran Jon Gensler, a solar energy project designer who is also an active participant in Operation Free.  In his comments, he cites the power of successful enterprises elsewhere, the commitment of several high-ranking officers to these projects, and military decision-making procedure as key forces that enable this process.

This Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced that it would spend $18 million on six projects that will develop the American military’s ability to efficiently use energy. This step will allow our armed forces to rely less on foreign sources of energy, which are expensive as well as potential security risks.  As Secretary Panetta summed it up in the official announcement, ”The Department is taking the lead on this because saving energy on the battlefield means saving lives and money.” Given the immense amounts of energy used by the military, the success of even one of these projects would save many times the original investment.

Stellar article from Torque News detailing Operation Free’s argument for breaking our addiction to oil. The article also features quotes from multiple veterans of Operation Free and a powerful counterpoint to National Automobile Dealers Association’s opposition to stronger CAFE standards.

Vets Who Served Overseas Seek Higher Fuel Standards

By Keith Griffin on Thu, 01/19/2012 – 17:05
Auto News
Some of the people who have made the greatest sacrifices for our country are pushing for higher CAFE standards so our fighting forces are no longer compelled to fight for our dependence on fossil fuel.

That’s the message that came out of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) hearings in Philadelphia today and earlier this week in Detroit. An additional hearing is set for next week in San Francisco. Members of Operation Free, a nationwide coalition of veterans, spoke in support of strong fuel economy standards for US cars and trucks.

John Gensler, former Captain, US Army, testified, “My experiences in war have made me understand and care deeply about our national security, as countless friends are still fighting overseas, and not all of them have made it home safely. The longer the U.S. remains dependent on fossil fuel, the more the U.S. will have to engage in tough wars just to protect our energy supplies, putting American lives at risk.”

He added, “This isn’t just an academic or economic threat to veterans like me; it is a deeply and profoundly personal threat. In December of 2007, I helped lay to rest West Point classmate Captain Ben Tiffner, who was killed in Iraq by an advanced roadside bomb. That bomb was designed, built, and financed by the Iranian government propped up by global oil revenues. “Not two months later, nearly four years ago to the day, I was burying another friend and football teammate, Captain Torre Mallard, at West Point. He was killed in a similar incident, by a similar weapon, again funded by black-stained petrodollars. How many more of our bravest young Americans will we lose while we continue to debate and prolong action?”

Gensler served as an officer in the United States Army as a tank and infantry mortar platoon leader, and previously worked for the Dept of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). He now works as a Project Developer for Borrego Solar Systems, helping develop solar energy projects for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Gensler is a graduate of United States Military Academy at West Point, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and Harvard’s JFK School of Government.

Brendan Flynn, US Coast Guard Academy graduate and Operation Free organizer, testified, “It is very clear to me that America’s oil dependence makes us vulnerable. A number of my good friends from the Coast Guard have served in-theater guarding oil platforms just off the coast of Iraq from waterborne suicide boat attacks. U.S. forces recently turned over oil platform security duties to the Iraqis, but oil infrastructure continues to be a target for attack both overseas and here at home.

“This is why I believe that we must adopt the 54.5 mpg standard. Nearly half of the oil we use goes towards fueling our cars and trucks, meaning building cars that use less gas will help break our addiction to oil. This standard is good for our economy, as it will spur new investments in energy-efficient engines. It is good for our national security – as the less reliant we are on one source of energy, the less vulnerable we are to a major disruption of supply. Frankly, the only people that this standard is bad for are the insurgents and terrorists fighting against our troops and plotting to attack our nation.”

The members of Operation Free are facing strong opposition from organized groups like the National Automobile Dealers Association, which wants nothing to do with the new standards. The NADA’s government relations chairman, Don Chalmers, a New Mexico-based Ford Motor Co. dealer, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying, “I want to sell very efficient cars. But if the customer can’t get the financing for that car, than it makes no difference. Finance sources do not look at how much you are going to save in fuel economy.” He added that the NADA plans to release a study next month that will estimate that technology costs would add up to $5,000 to the price of a vehicle.

Luke Tonachel a senior analyst in the Energy and Transportation program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, backed the Operation Free arguments in testimony in Detroit. In his testimony Tonachel portrayed the stakes as being very high. The higher CAFE standards would save the American economy “a half trillion dollars over the next 20 years,” according to an article posted by TorqueNews correspondent David Herron.

To Read More: http://www.torquenews.com/108/vets-who-served-overseas-seek-higher-fuel-standards

According to AutoBlogGreen, the overwhelming turn out for the Detroit hearings is indicative of the widespread support the new 54.5 standard enjoys.

Alex Cornell Du Houx, a Marine and Iraq War veteran, said the Department of Defense was the nation’s single-largest purchaser of gasoline and is attempting to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent within the next eight years. The Air Force, he said, will use as much as 50 percent biofuels by 2016.

“This is the single best step we can take right now to curb our dangerous addiction to oil,” said Du Houx. “This will have a tremendous impact, and make us less vulnerable to unfriendly and unstable regimes.

First hearing on 54.5 mpg proposal reveals widespread support

They came from as close as the General Motors headquarters across the street and as far away as Santa Fe, New Mexico.

They represented groups as diverse as automakers and the military, steel manufacturers and religious organizations.

And nearly all of the 90 or so people who testified on a proposal to raise the nation’s fuel economy standard to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 offered support for the plan before a joint government panel in downtown Detroit.

Noting that the Obama administration’s proposal had won the diverse support of auto industry insiders, labor unions, consumer watchdogs and environmental groups, Congressman John Dingell said, “this is an event that ranks with the loaves and fishes.”

Tuesday’s hearing, held by the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was the first of three that will give members of the public opportunity to comment on the joint-proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules. Further hearings are set for Thursday in Philadelphia and Tuesday, January 24, in San Francisco.

But it was in downtown Detroit, the heart of the nation’s auto industry, that government leaders were offered widespread support for the 54.5 mpg standard Tuesday. Proponents said the U.S. would benefit in the form of increased automotive jobs, consumer savings and enhanced national security.

“The auto industry is coming back strong, and one of the reasons we are so confident about the industry’s future is green technology,” said UAW president Bob King. “The drive to bring fuel efficient cars to the market is transforming existing jobs and creating new ones. … These are the automotive jobs of the future.”

The EPA estimates the 54.5 mpg standard will save more than 4 billion barrels of oil between 2017 and 2025 and cut carbon emissions by more than 2 billion metric tons. Based on an average fuel price of $3.53 per gallon, it estimates consumers will save a net of $4,400, even with a higher upfront sticker price for new models.

While stating that they supported the proposal, that was the top source of reluctance among automakers and dealers.

More than worrying about meeting what they saw as aggressive deadlines, executives representing U.S. domestic automakers were more concerned with whether enough mainstream customers had the desire and financial means to purchase new cars.

Even as carmakers unveiled more than a dozen new electric vehicles and hybrids at the North American International Auto Show taking place down the street at the Cobo Center, they feared trying to peer at consumer purchasing trends more than a decade into the future left too much leeway for error.

“We must not lose sight of the most important question, and that is, ‘Are they buying the product,’” said Jay Wilton, Chrysler’s vice president of engineering and regulatory compliance. “Measuring even next year is challenging. Speculating 13 years into the future brings risk.”

Because of that, the U.S. automakers said their support for the 54.5-mpg proposal was contingent upon the EPA and NHTSA agreeing to a midterm review that would assess whether early estimates on government figures were accurate, whether they could develop fuel-saving technology in time and, primarily, whether customers were buying fuel-efficient cars.

A November survey conducted by Consumer Reports revealed 80 percent of consumers said they supported the 54.5-mpg target and that 83 percent said they would be willing to pay more for a car that offered better fuel economy.

That may not necessarily mean they can afford a more fuel-efficient car. While several car dealers testified Tuesday they supported the CAFE proposal outright, other dealers were concerned about the costs fuel technologies would add to new vehicles.

Don Chalmers, speaking on behalf of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said the new standards would limit financing options for some customers, potentially decreasing new car sales and shifting borderline customers into used cars instead.

Although the EPA estimated that fuel savings of $6,600 over a decade would pay for the $2,200 increase in upfront vehicle cost, he said that financing departments would not factor the long-term savings into a customer’s loan application.

“I can’t quite get around the affordability from a finance standpoint and whether you can get qualified for a loan in the first place,” said Chalmers, who said he would have lost several sales this fall had the proposal been in place.

“The bankers don’t get a chart and compare fuel savings. They’re looking at payments versus disposable income, and that’s the reality of vehicle financing today.”

Chalmers was the most tepid of supporters in Detroit. Overall, the increased regulation enjoyed wide support. In the afternoon, a group of women broke out in song while supporting the new rule. Nurses hoped the new standard would decrease asthma and NCAAP officials said it would create jobs for black workers.

And if the CAFE proposal brought together groups more disparate than auto industry insiders and environmentalists, it was pacifists and Marines nodding in agreement.

Alex Cornell Du Houx, a Marine and Iraq War veteran, said the Department of Defense was the nation’s single-largest purchaser of gasoline and is attempting to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent within the next eight years. The Air Force, he said, will use as much as 50 percent biofuels by 2016.

“This is the single best step we can take right now to curb our dangerous addiction to oil,” said Du Houx. “This will have a tremendous impact, and make us less vulnerable to unfriendly and unstable regimes.

The Rev. Peggy Garrigues, a pastor from Clawson United Methodist Church in suburban Detroit, agreed.

“War is incompatible with Christian teaching,” she said. “The less we depend on foreign oil, the less incentive we have to go to war. These proposed standards will help people of faith live out their values and create a better world for God’s children.”

For more: http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/18/first-hearing-on-54-5-mpg-proposal-reveals-widespread-support/

We here at Operation Free and the Philadelphia Inquirer blog encourage you to have your say in the EPA fuel economy standard hearings going on in Philadelphia today. Those six veterans mentioned are our very own Operation Free veterans taking a tough stance, explaining how our addiction to oil makes America less safe.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012
Want better mileage? You can have your say today

Would you like your car to get better gas mileage?

Federal officials will be in Philadelphia today to take testimony on proposed fuel efficiency standards that would require cars to get 54.5 miles a gallon — a “fleet” average — by 2025.

Today’s average? About 27 mpg. By one estimate, the new standards could save consumers $4,000 in fuel costs over the life of an average vehicle.

At a similar hearing Tuesday in Detroit, home of the American automobile, about 90 people testified — mostly in favor.

“Writing new regulations that will require cars and trucks to have significantly higher fuel economy by 2025 prompted years of fighting among automakers, environmentalists, regulators and consumer groups. But now that the standards have been proposed, nearly everyone involved in the process is on board with the results,” write Nick Bunkley in the New York Times.

“There appears to be no significant opposition amongst responsible persons,” said U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who had fought earlier attempts to boost fuel economy.

“These standards will cut our oil use by more than we get from Persian Gulf, Venezuela and Russia combined,” said Larry Schweiger of the National Wildlife Federation.

Six veterans testified as well, pointing out that our need for imported oil threatens national security — and American lives.

Today’s hearing begins at 10 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Downtown, 1800 Market Street. It is being held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

If you can’t get there but would like to listen in, you can do so by by calling 866-299-3188 and then using conference code 734 214 4423#.

Also, the Sierra Club is tweeting from the hearing. Search for @SierraClubLive. I’ll retweet when I can.

Among those expected to testify today: the Clean Air Council, various medical groups, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the Pew Clean Energy Program, Greater Philadelphia Taxi Association, the director of Philadelphia’s Air Management Program, the Union of Concerned Scientists, several veterans, and officials from Hyundai, Ford and Toyota.

A fact sheet about the proposed standard is available on EPA’s Website http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/420f11038.pdf.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/greenliving/Want-better-mileage-You-can-have-your-say-today.html