Udall Commends Pentagon for Commitment to Energy Security, Using More Clean Energy

Press Release

Today, Mark Udall released the following statement after the announcement by the Department of Defense (DOD) that it is taking several steps to address energy security, including a commitment to deploy three gigawatts of renewable energy on Army, Navy and Air Force installations by 2025.

"I'm pleased to see the Pentagon is doing even more to address our military's energy independence. The Department of Defense is the biggest single consumer of fossil fuels in the world, meaning that when energy prices go up, the DOD has to reshuffle priorities based on fuel costs, not national security needs. The DOD's commitment to developing new energy technologies will help to bring costs down, create jobs and get these technologies to the commercial markets quicker. Put simply, saving energy saves American lives and taxpayer dollars. The efforts announced today will help achieve both of those goals. I strongly support these efforts and am doing all that I can to make our military strong and keep our troops safe."

Udall has been a vocal advocate for shoring up both our country's energy and national security. Last year, Udall introduced the Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2011 with Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to help the military save money and lives by reducing its reliance on foreign fossil fuel, and he fought to include key provisions of it in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act. He also wrote an op-ed in Politico last year on the national security threat posed by our military's dependence on foreign oil.

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