Rep. Scott Peters Reintroduces Bill to Strengthen Combat Effectiveness, Save Lives Via Fuel Supply Diversity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) reintroduced H.R. 3108, the Department of Defense Energy Security Act (DODESA), legislation to help the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reduce energy use, boost combat effectiveness through fuel supply diversity, and speed up the development of advanced technologies to improve military energy efficiency.

“Our country needs a strong, smart, and durable military that is prepared to face new 21st-century threats,” Congressman Scott Peters said. “Our military deserves congressional support for its desire to invest in a multifaceted energy portfolio; it will save money and save lives. By passing DODESA, we can diversify the DOD’s energy portfolio and promote energy efficiency, which will enhance our national security and protect our warfighters from the needless harm that comes from transporting convoys of fuel across remote battlefields.”

“In his proposed DoD Energy Security Act, Representative Scott Peters takes aim squarely at the real challenge, which is how DoD can use good energy policy to build a better military,” said Sharon Burke, Senior Advisor at New America and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy. “His sensible proposals, everything from new contracting tools to improved vehicle performance to more resilient bases at home, will make warfighters more effective, limit the risks from energy threats, and if DoD does it right, save the taxpayers money. This is responsible legislation that is also responsive to the needs of our men and women in uniform.”

“If our military is going to effectively face 21st century global challenges, we have to get it free of the burden of 19th century energy sources. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing efficiency in how our military uses energy will make our warfighters and installations more effective and our nation more secure,” said Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee. “Hawaii military installations are leading the way in innovative energy security efforts and as we continue the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific we must ensure our military has the tools to increase energy self-sufficiency and efficiency. The Department of Defense Energy Security Act, which I introduced in the Senate earlier this year and was recently introduced in the House, reduces the military’s reliance on fossil fuels by supporting efforts to improve efficiency, support better energy management and usage, research, and deployment of cleaner energy technologies, and better governance of the military’s energy programs.”

“I am pleased that Representative Peters is leading the effort in the House to improve energy efficiency in the military,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “This legislation, which parallels the bill that Sen. Hirono and I introduced last month in the Senate, builds on important, common-sense initiatives in the military to reduce energy use and costs, and in turn enhance national security.”

Senators Hirono and Wyden recently introduced a similar bill, S. 1528, in the United States Senate.

Background on DODESA

Congressman Peters joined with then-Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) to introduce DODESA last year, building on the work led by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords when a similar version was introduced in 2010.

DODESA 2015 would do the following:

• Leverage private-sector capital funding to increase the efficiency of mobile assets such as ships and deployable equipment, while allowing the Pentagon to reap long-term savings.
• Streamline efforts across the service branches and reduce redundancy by establishing a central database for energy projects. 
• Continue research and funding for more fuel efficient tactical vehicles.
• Help military installations continue to function in the event of a major power outage following a natural disaster or an attack on the electrical grid.
• Authorize investments in infrastructure on military installations for alternative fuel vehicles.
• Enable base commanders and energy managers to reinvest savings realized from smart energy programs back into bases.
• Direct the DOD to provide Congress with information on military readiness at installations to hear DOD’s strategy to mitigate the impact of expected increased water shortages, instances of wildfire, increased drought, flooding due to sea level rise, and coastal erosion from storm surges to ensure optimal military readiness.

A one-page summary of DODESA 2015 can be seen HERE.

###