Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a blatant attack on the use of alternative energy by the Department of Defense. So we have existing contracts right now for renewable energy, both liquid fuels and electricity, at the Department of Defense, and this amendment seeks to really pump the brakes on those policies and bury them in a web of unnecessary requirements. So requiring procurement managers to track all Federal subsidies and tax credits would be a burden to the government, and requiring suppliers to provide such information would be onerous, expensive, and may, in fact, actually drive them away. Also, this will result in less competition for contracts, and higher costs for the Department of Defense. Ultimately, it is going to result in higher costs to the taxpayer. So most alarmingly, this amendment does not include any waivers for times of emergency when a retail, time-sensitive purchase of readily available alternative fuels might be imperative to completing the mission, even if it is at a price point higher than the usual market cost. Mr. Chairman, it also does not provide consideration for renewable energy projects for military installations that, although they might not reduce costs, do have other quantifiable benefits that increase combat effectiveness or enhance mission resiliency. This amendment is also redundant.…”