[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7540]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             REMOVING HOLDS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, on April 16, 2010, Senator Merkley and I 
objected to any unanimous consent agreement in connection with the 
nominations of Sharon E. Burke, to be the Director of Operational 
Energy Plans and Programs at the Department of Defense; Catherine 
Hammack, to be the Assistant Secretary of the Army; and Elizibeth A. 
McGrath, to be the Deputy Chief Management Officer at DOD. At that 
time, we needed assurance that DOD was taking the appropriate action to 
address the increasing conflict between national renewable energy 
policy and national defense.
  I am pleased to say that we have dropped our objections to any 
unanimous consent agreement to consider these three nominations.
  I am encouraged with the progress the Department of Defense, along 
with the Federal Aviation Administration, has achieved to acknowledge 
the critical nature of our future renewable energy program and its 
impact to national defense. Both agencies now appear committed to 
address the systemic process issues associated with siting our 
renewable energy programs. I hope this commitment continues. Because 
there is much more work to be done.
  I believe we must pursue upgrading hardware and software for all of 
our radar arrays and adjust the siting permit process so that companies 
know in advance, not at the eleventh hour, of any DOD objections. But I 
also believe there is a need for an impartial entity with the authority 
to consider strategic civilian energy development and national defense 
needs. I know it won't be easy, but I look forward to working with the 
administration and Defense Department to establish such an 
organization.

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