Udall: Vote to Allow Defense Department’s Use of Biofuels Welcome News for Colorado, Nation
Vote Followed Udall's Push to Remove the Biofuel Restriction from 2013 National Defense Authorization Act
Mark Udall welcomed the U.S. Senate’s passage of his amendment to remove provisions from the National Defense Authorization Act that would have prevented the Department of Defense from using biofuels except in very limited circumstances. The vote, which passed by a 62-37 margin, followed a Udall-led debate on the floor of the Senate and months of behind-the-scenes work to build a coalition in support of his amendment.
“Our military is on the cutting edge technologically, but much of our fighting capability relies on foreign fossil fuels and decades-old power systems. That dependence has very real human and economic costs,” Udall said. “Today’s strong bipartisan vote affirms that we should allow our military leaders to continue to develop and use advanced alternative fuels in order to bring down costs and improve mission capabilities.”
Udall, who serves on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has been the leading proponent of allowing the Defense Department to develop and use alternative fuels.
Udall also has been a vocal advocate for an all-of-the-above national energy portfolio. He has led the charge in the U.S. Senate to extend the wind Production Tax Credit and has pushed for a national Renewable Energy Standard similar to what Coloradans passed at the polls in 2004.