Though the filibuster of Chuck Hagel has created temporary drama in the Senate, in all likelihood he will become the Secretary of Defense. With this, Hagel stands to continue former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s focus on leveraging renewable energy to power the US military. The Defense Department has a lot to gain by switching to renewable energy, and past posts have highlighted efforts already underway to reduce the military’s dependence on oil. Taking a look at Hagel 15 years ago, however, will certainly yield some questions on whether or not Hagel is truly interested in converting the military to clean energy.
As a Nebraska Republican Senator, Hagel supported several efforts that pushed against conservation and reduction of greenhouse gases. Hagel sponsored the 1997 Byrd-Hagel Resolution that made the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the United States impossible if developing countries were not held accountable for greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol was never ratified in the US as a result. Hagel was also an outspoken opponent of the EPA and the Occupation Safety and Health Administration.
It appears, however, that time may have changed Hegel’s views on clean energy, or at least his opposition to non-fossil fuels. Hagel may not be clean-energy minded because he doesn’t want to see the effects of climate change riddle the planet, but he does want to see the military perform without being scuttled by foreign influences. A military that does not rely on foreign oil or need to pay over $4 Billion dollars a year in utility costs is a more agile and powerful military.
Adding to this, the coming sequestration, or cuts to the defense budget, means the military would do well to find as many ways as possible to reduce lost finance as a result of non-combat operations. Keeping the lights on at a base located in sunny California shouldn’t require reducing troop numbers in war zones because of budget problems. Reducing overhead costs from energy means the military can focus funding in places that will ensure a more combat-ready armed forces.