[CPEO-MEF] ENERGY: Notes on the DSB Energy Report

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

The Defense Science Board Task Force on [Department of Defense] Energy 
Strategy, an official Defense Department advisory group, issued an 
impressive report, "More Fight, Less Fuel," in February, 2008. The 
report is significant because the Department is the largest energy user 
in the United States. It reports:

"The Department of Defense is the largest single consumer of energy in 
the United States. In 2006, it spent $13.6 billion to buy 110 million 
barrels of petroleum fuel (about 300,000 barrels of oil each day), and 
3.8 billion kWh of electricity. This represents about 0.8% of total U.S. 
energy consumption and 78% of energy consumption by the Federal 
government. Buildings and facilities account for about 25% of the 
Department's total energy use. DoD occupies over 577,000 buildings and 
structures worth $712 billion comprising more than 5,300 sites. In 2006, 
the Department spent over $3.5 billion for energy to power fixed 
installations, and just over $10 billion on fuel for combat and combat 
related systems. These figures exclude energy used by some contractors 
that performed 'outsourced' DoD functions, but are as accurate as 
current accounting systems permit."

The report makes familiar recommendations for energy efficiency and 
reliability, and it discusses alternate energy production. It mentions 
global warming, and it suggests that Defense investments in energy 
technologies will have significant civilian spinoffs.

But the report breaks new ground in identifying the threat that an 
antiquated energy system poses to the Defense Department's warfighting 
and homeland security missions. That is, the report provide new 
arguments - beyond energy dependence and global climate change - why the 
Department should organize and devote funds to solving energy problems. 
A few examples: Infantrymen are burdened by heavy batteries; air 
conditioning places high demands on energy for deployed troops; war 
fighting forces are diverted to protect fuel supply convoys; and 
domestic installations are at risk from electrical grid outages.

Thus, there is an opportunity for the nation's largest user of energy to 
become a leader in finding solutions to the energy/climate crisis. The 
time is ripe for the other government agencies, private industry, and 
non governmental organizations to partner with the Pentagon to develop 
and implement solutions that will benefit the military in specific, the 
nation as a whole, and indeed, the entire planet.

Lenny Siegel

[To download the full, formatted report, go to
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2008-02-ESTF.pdf]

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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