Coalition calls for outreach to Senators on military biofuels

November 21, 2012 |

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is expected to be taken up on the Senate floor early next week. The Committee-passed annual Defense Authorization bill contains harmful amendments that would block efforts to develop a commercial supply of cost-competitive advanced biofuels as detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Efforts in Congress to thwart the military’s ability to develop alternatives serve only to limit solutions to dependence on foreign oil and impacts of rising fuel costs on military readiness.

Senator Murray and Senator Udall’s offices have been urging senators to sign onto a letter, which has been signed by 38 US Senators, urging the removal of these committee amendments. This letter was brought up in Politico yesterday morning.

An amendment is expected to be offered to assure the DOD can continue its work on advanced biofuels. An advanced biofuels coalition letter was sent to House and Senate leadership in October asking them to support funding biofuels and the MOU.

If the Senate floor attempt to remove these anti-biofuels language is successful, the next step is to protect the biofuel programs against similarly restrictive language in the House bill when the House and Senate meet in conference on this legislation.

It is important for our senators to hear from local industry voices about why funding the Department of Defense’s advanced biofuels initiatives is of critical importance.  Please contact the office of your U.S. Senators to urge them to support the biofuels funding/MOU amendment.  Ask them to support this effort for the U.S. military to become less dependent on foreign oil and strengthen the nation’s energy security.

A copy of the letter is downloadable, here.

 

Category: Thought Leadership

Thank you for visting the Digest.