U.S. military, Ask America voters see green future
AFP – A hybrid solar-wind generator by Solar Stik, a company that makes portable renewable energy systems, … Improving energy efficiency has become a top priority for Pentagon brass as insurgents increase attacks on oil convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials say the U.S. military's dependence on oil has proven to be a dangerous liability, costing billions of dollars and the lives of those who supply and transport it.
The military's push to go green could also impact the domestic energy agenda. Military research and development has lead to technological breakthroughs before, including the computer network predecessor to the Internet.
Informal polling in the Yahoo! News Ask America forum indicates that most Americans want to see a wider variety of energy sources. We asked if people thought the U.S. should invest more to spur a green tech revolution at home. Of the 26,000 people who responded, 67 percent voted yes.
But military leaders say they're trying to go green to save lives. Six Marines have been wounded while guarding fuel convoys in the past three months, and a 2009 Army report found that for every 24 convoys delivering fuel to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, one soldier or civilian was killed in the process.
Attacks on trucks bringing fuel to NATO troops in Afghanistan earlier this month highlighted how vulnerable the convoys can be. Dozens of trucks were destroyed and thousands left stranded as Pakistani officials shut down the Khyber Pass — the suppliers' main route to coalition bases.
While a comprehensive energy bill has been put on the back burner in Congress, the military is making renewable power a priority for sensitive areas of deployment around the world.
The Ask America van arrived Saturday in Santa Fe, part of the Southwest region in the U.S. that promises to lead the way in solar energy. We've been collecting peoples' thoughts on energy and the environment through the Yahoo! News informal polling forum. With nearly 300,000 responses in this category, it seems most people would like to see a wider variety of energy sources on the mainland as well.
With energy legislation in a congressional logjam, can the U.S. military lead the way to a green revolution?
Top military and civilian officials met at the Pentagon this week to discuss different ways to improve energy efficiency .
"We're not going green just for green's sake," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said at one of the panel discussions at the Pentagon, according to AFP. "Energy reform…is about protecting the lives of our troops. It's about making our country more secure and more independent. That's why we are doing this, that's why we have to change."
Mabus says he wants the Navy and Marines to be using 50 percent renewable energy by 2020.
The military has already made some advances in using more renewable energy technology in its efforts to go green. According to The New York Times, the Air Force's entire fleet will be certified to fly on biofuels by next year and has already done test flights using a fuel mix that is 50 percent plant-based biofuel and 50 percent jet fuel.
Researchers for CNA's Military Advisory Board argue in a recent study that "By harnessing the leadership characteristics inherent in its military culture, leveraging its organizational discipline, fine-tuning technology development and energy acquisition processes...[the Defense Department] can be a key player in moving America forward in the clean energy technology revolution."
On an organizational level, the Pentagon has created a new office for the Defense Department's Operational Energy Plans and Programs. Sharon Burke, the director of the new office, will come up with a strategy by the end of the year to meet the Pentagon's goals for increased energy efficiency.
Ask America users seem to also want more energy efficiency outside the military. The forum's "Energy and Environment" section addresses many alternative energy options, including high-speed rails, wind farms, solar energy, nuclear power and electric cars. Each of these questions had a majority of 70 percent or more in favor of developing these parts of the industry.
But that's not to say that people want to abandon oil altogether. Fifty-five percent of responses to a question on oil versus alternative energy said they still want to see oil drilling continue while we develop other sources of renewable energy.
Most comments on both sides of the issue echoed the sentiment of Yahoo! user Shane S, who commented: "Keep drilling to keep oil prices down and keep us off mid-east oil. But we need to invest in clean energy for long-term growth and environmental health."
User Bradley continued in that vein saying, "'Clean Energy Now' is at least a decade away. In the meantime, let's drill our own oil, providing jobs here."
One user, R, who says he works in the industry commented: "The push toward new cleaner energy creates jobs and makes the world a better place to live. That's a win-win."
What do you think? Cast your vote now.
Keep up with Ask America: Follow our "video ninja" on the Ask America blog and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/askamericavan.
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