Insiders Support Military’s Renewable-Energy Push
by Sara Sorcher (National Journal) Nearly two-thirds of National Journal’s National Security Insiders agree with the military’s push for renewable energy, siding with the Obama administration over some Republicans in Congress who have charged that the Defense Department should not spend money on expensive alternative fuels at a time when the nation needs to cut its trillion-dollar deficit.
The Pentagon sees the goal of reducing its oil consumption as a national-security concern — and the Obama administration has continuously touted the military’s use of renewable energy, especially biofuels. Sixty-one percent of Insiders agree this is a good priority for the military.
…But 39 percent of Insiders surveyed sided with the concerns voiced by some Republicans — such as Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., who led the effort in the Senate to limit the amount of biofuels that can be used by the military. “Spending precious defense dollars on expensive biofuels is a transparent effort to raid the defense budget to subsidize an industry that is not economically competitive,” one Insider said. “Dressing this up as a national-security initiative is the height of cynicism.” READ MORE
