Mike Conaway: “While the Defense Authorization Act doesn't have much public policy in relation to energy in it, it is a beneficiary of…”

“While the Defense Authorization Act doesn't have much public policy in relation to energy in it, it is a beneficiary of good, sound national energy policy. DOD is the single largest department purchaser of energy of any of the Federal agencies that this Congress oversees. It would benefit dramatically by decreases in costs of energy, as would every consumer, every American home would as well. And conversely, its budgets are dramatically negatively impacted with rampant run-up in costs. We fly jets, we drive tanks and Humvees and other vehicles, and we have to buy that fuel to get that done. These increased costs as a result of an unsound national policy on energy are a detriment to the Department of Defense. A sound national policy on energy should promote additional supplies of domestically produced sources, both fossil fuel sources as well as unconventional sources. It's not an either/or, it ought to be both. And this Democratically led House has consistently, over the last 16 months, had a very negative bias against fossil fuel sources.”