GUEST COLUMN: Congress should support military's energy-efficient initiatives

The Department of Defense knows the true cost of fuel all too well.

In economic terms alone, its energy bill for 2011 will exceed $15 billion, with costs rising $1 billion for every $10 increase per barrel of oil. But the cost for our troops is far higher: 70 percent of the convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan are on the road solely to transport fuel and water, putting them at enormous risk.

One out of every 24 fuel convoys results in a U.S. casualty, and an estimated 3,000 Americans have been killed or wounded while acting as escorts.

Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels has never been more critical.

The Defense Department is already taking steps on a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives that will save lives and take important steps toward energy independence. Those efforts begin at home and extend to remote outposts in Afghanistan and the distant seas.

I believe Congress must provide support in order for this effort to meet its full potential.

Already, innovative programs are being developed by all of the military services.

Consider:

More than 60 Army installations, including Colorado’s Fort Carson, are leading the way through a voluntary pilot program called Net Zero, in which they aim to replace or recycle as much energy, water and waste as they use.

The U.S. Navy is developing the “Great Green Fleet,” which will vastly reduce fuel consumption.

The 844-foot USS Makin Island is outfitted with a hybrid-electric drive that saved over 1 million gallons of fuel on its maiden voyage alone. Over the ship’s lifetime, this advanced-engine technology will save taxpayers more than $250 million.

The Air Force is in the process of certifying advanced alternative fuels that will allow our pilots to be far less reliant on imported fossil fuels without compromising aircraft performance.

And since deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Marines and sailors of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, are working with the Experimental Forward Operating Base, or “ExFOB.”

Rather than lugging around radio battery packs that add an average of 18 pounds to each Marine’s combat load, one rifle company now uses foldable solar blankets to charge them.

This reduces waste while allowing our troops to be more agile. The ExFOB has also incorporated advanced solar technologies and decreased liquid fuel consumption from 20 gallons per day to 2.5 gallons. If brought to scale, there will be reduced need for fuel convoys, and lives will be saved.

So what should Congress’s role be?

First, we must continue to support the bridge between the Pentagon and our nation’s goal of reducing our reliance on fossil fuel — especially foreign fossil fuel.

I’ve championed these efforts in my roles on the Senate Armed Services and Energy and Natural Resources committees. Last Congress, I teamed with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona to lead the effort by introducing the Department of Defense Energy Security Act.

The bill would build on the progress the military has made and continue to advance it into the next generation.

In the coming weeks, I will introduce an updated version of the Udall-Giffords bill, which reflects the many conversations I’ve had with our military personnel and energy experts from around the country.

Among other things, the bill sets goals that military facilities and vehicle fleets should meet to reduce their use of fossil fuels — and help speed up the development of renewable energy technologies at military installations. It also provides the resources to help them meet their internal renewable energy goals, and includes a formal training program for military energy managers.

This combined effort is essential if we are to remain the world’s military leader.

By decreasing the energy intensity of military operations, we will save billions of dollars and improve the effectiveness of our military’s missions.

The less-obvious advantage of these measures is that by reducing our military’s dependence on fossil fuels (the Pentagon today consumes 80 percent of the fossil fuel used by the entire federal government), we will reduce U.S. oil consumption — and with it, the prospect of conflict across the world.

Furthermore, because the military has always been one of the most effective and efficient laboratories for innovation — the Pentagon first developed radar, the Internet, GPS and more — these energy- and water-saving advancements will quickly find their way into the civilian marketplace.

This will advance our clean-energy technology and help get us on track to win the global economic race.

Our troops deserve our deepest gratitude for their selfless service to this great nation, and our efforts to improve the efficacy of their missions through clean energy advancements will protect their lives, and the lives of future American service members.

Mark Udall is a United States Senator for Colorado. Prior to that, he represented the state’s 2nd Congressional District for five terms (from 1999-08). Senator Udall’s website is http://markudall.senate.gov/.