Living on Earth: (Republicans) Fighting a Renewable Army

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00009&segmentID=2

[font face=Times, Times New Roman, Serif][font size=5]Fighting a Renewable Army[/font]

Air Date: Week of March 2, 2012

[font size=3]The Defense Department wants to run the military on more renewables and less oil, but some members of Congress don’t think it’s worth one billion dollars. House Republicans complain that the Department of Defense is advancing a political agenda instead of a military one. Living on Earth’s Ike Sriskandarajah reports on the battle over clean energy.[/font]

[font size=4]Transcript[/font]

[font size=3]GELLERMAN: The United States Department of Defense is the largest single consumer of energy in the nation. In fact, it consumes more oil than anybody else in the world.

To cut the use of fossil fuels, the military’s top brass has pledged to get 25 percent of the Pentagon’s energy from renewable sources by 2025.

But now that target has come under attack by Congressional Republicans. And they’ve set their sights on the U.S. Navy, which has the Defense Department’s most ambitious energy goals. Living on Earth’s Ike Sriskandarajah reports.

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(Full transcript and MP3 at link.)

[seeviewonder]

1. I totally support the government wanting to use renewable fuels.

I have worked in the biodiesel industry for a few years and it can serious help us in the long run as far as environmental health goes.

[Vogon_Glory]

2. This Is An Attack On Our Military Capacities

Last edited Fri Mar 2, 2012, 11:07 PM - Edit history (1)

There's no other way to describe it. This is an attack on America's military capacities.

Using renewables, and using such technologies as solar power, batteries, and other alternate fuels is a direct attack on the military's ability to do its job and maintain its supply line.

The Pentagon's move towards using renewables wasn't even a Democratic proposal to begin with. As I recall, it was implemented while Dubya was in office. The Army and other armed services wanted to reduce the need for running fuel convoys to the front lines and to forward bases and exposing US military personnel to attacks by pro-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and hostile Iraqis in Iraq.

I think it's increasingly apparent that the congressional Republicans have willingly and knowingly chosen to become the willing tools of the oil companies. Whether it's raping environmental regulations, hamstringing alternate fuels and the US military, or enabling oil speculators to send the world and domestic prices of crude oil up past $150 a barrel, or leaving US energy supplies in the hands of unstable, often-hostile foreign governments, House Republicans can be counted on to do the oil companies' bidding and short-shrift American citizen-voters' interests.

[caraher]

3. Yup

Once again the Republicans show it's all partisan politics, all the time.

[Vogon_Glory]

4. And partisan politics at the expense of our men and women on the front lines

And partisan politics at the expense of our men and women on the front lines. They DON'T support our troops.