Donley Addresses Energy Goals

As the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, the Air Force is committed to reducing its demand for energy, increasing the supply of alternative and renewable energy, and fostering a culture of energy awareness, said Secretary Michael Donley earlier this month in a speech in Las Vegas. In Fiscal 2011, the Defense Department spent $20 billion on energy, of which the Air Force’s portion was $9.7 billion, said Donley during his Aug. 7 address at the 2012 National Clean Energy Summit. That $9.7 billion, which represented fuel costs, amounted to more than eight percent of the Air Force’s total Fiscal 2011 budget, said Donley, according to the service’s Aug.15 release. “No matter how you count it, that is a significant amount, particularly when overall budgets are declining and energy costs are trending upward,” he said. “Every dollar we don’t spend on energy would allow us to invest that dollar into enhancing a high-quality and ready force,” he added. (Las Vegas report by TSgt. Shad Eidson)