On the recordApril 28, 2010
As I stated earlier, the basic mechanism in this bill is to provide performance criteria for the purchasing organizations within the Department of Defense. This amendment says that one criterion may be energy-efficiency standards in the purchasing. Now, what does this mean? It means that the procurement organization should get the very best deal from the point of view of the servicemember as well as of the taxpayer and that one of the factors that should be taken into account is energy efficiency. For example, if under this bill the procurement organization is purchasing landscaping services and if, all other things being equal for the quality of the landscaping services and the price, one of the organizations uses more energy-efficient lawnmowers or other gardening machines, that purchase would be favored under this mechanism to encourage but not to require energy efficiency. This goes to a much broader question in our country that obviously involves the fact that we are buying nearly $300 billion a year worth of imported oil from countries around the world which may or may not be friendly to us. The largest consumer of energy in the United States' economy is the Department of Defense.
