[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 169 (Saturday, December 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DOMESTIC FUEL FOR ENHANCING NATIONAL SECURITY (D-FENS) ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 17, 2010

  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff recently commented at the 2010 Energy Security Forum 
that ``[the Department of Defense] is using 300,000 barrels of oil 
every day. The energy use per soldier creeps up every year. And our 
number-one import into Afghanistan is fossil fuel.'' Admiral Mullen 
understands how critical an energy supply is to a combat troop; but how 
safe are our troops if this oil comes from overseas? Our defense sector 
should adopt more sustainable fuels, which can be produced here in the 
United States; for the security of our troops.
  As an initial step forward, the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Maybus, 
outlined five formal energy goals to lead the Navy toward a more energy 
secure fleet:
  1. Evaluation of energy factors will be mandatory when awarding 
Department of the Navy contracts for systems and buildings.
  2. Department of the Navy (DoN) will demonstrate a Green Strike Group 
in local operations by 2012 and sail it by 2016.
  3. By 2015, DoN will reduce petroleum use in the commercial fleet by 
50 percent.
  4. By 2020, DoN will produce at least 50 percent of shore-based 
energy requirements from alternative sources; 50 percent of Navy and 
Marine Corps installations will be net-zero.
  5. By 2020, 50 percent of total energy consumption will come from 
alternative sources.
  To ultimately realize these goals we need to dramatically scale up 
advanced biofuel production in the U.S. One way to help scale this 
nascent industry is to allow government entities to engage in longer 
term contracts with fuel producers. These longer term contracts will 
provide additional market certainty and will ultimately help unlock 
private investment for construction and development of large advanced 
biofuel refineries.
  That is why I introduced the Domestic Fuel for Enhancing National 
Security (D-FENS) Act 2010. This bill extends the multi-year 
contracting authority for advanced biofuels from 5 years to 15 years.
  In the great state of Washington, interests from the private sector, 
universities, and major airports are already working to bring the first 
generation of biofuels to the market, and their efforts can be greatly 
enhanced by this legislation. These fuels are based on plants such as 
camelina, jatropha, and even algae; plants that can be grown right in 
the Pacific Northwest. In addition to being able to grow these 
feedstocks in our own backyard, research on the next generation of 
biofuels is also creating jobs at our highly regarded research 
institutions. These efforts will make sure that the U.S. secures its 
competitive edge in this field.
  In closing, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill, and hope 
that we can work together to move it toward passage as soon as 
possible.

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