With gasoline prices lower than they’ve been in years, it’s easy to get complacent about weaning ourselves from petroleum. Sure, you might be spending less at the pump. But don’t forget the high cost our country pays for its over-dependence on oil – not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of national security, our economy and the lives of our men and women in uniform.
Automakers are making excellent progress in making cars and trucks more energy efficient, and in developing innovative options that don’t require any gas at all. And no matter what happens to gas prices, the drive toward sustainable energy independence must continue.
That’s a message I shared with local political leaders, veterans and conservative groups when I visited Michigan at the invitation of Young Conservatives for Energy Reform recently. Like my colleagues at the Military Advisory Board, I view energy issues through the prism of national security.
When I led Multi-National Force – West in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I saw how our troops’ dependence on oil put them at risk. Convoys carrying fuel for vehicles and power generators were a favorite target of enemy forces. In fact, the Marine Corps found that fuel and water convoys accounted for 10% of all casualties. In a modern war zone, saving fuel and deploying alternatives cuts down on dangerous convoys, and saves lives.
Since leaving the Marine Corps, I have been working with some of our nation’s most senior retired military leaders on CNA’s Military Advisory Board, examining the links between energy and national security. The MAB has called for cutting petroleum use by 30 percent by 2020, in order to boost economic and national security.
In the historic heart of America’s automobile industry, automakers are doing their part. According to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, from model year 2008 to model year 2014, fuel economy improved from 25.5 mpg to 30.8 mpg.
Thanks to national standards and consumer demand, these numbers will continue to improve. And by 2025, projections suggest, Americans will have reduced our dependence on oil by more than two million barrels per day. That’s about half of the oil that we now import from OPEC nations each day.
Too often, talking about efficient, clean energy becomes politicized. It shouldn’t be. And as I saw in Michigan – and as members of the Military Advisory Board have seen across the country – smart people from across the political spectrum understand that America’s oil dependence holds us back.
But fuel efficiency and high-tech transportation technologies – from electric vehicles to alternative fuels – are piquing interest across the nation. Americans understand that efficient transportation, powered by clean energy made here at home, drives our nation in the right direction.
Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer is a member of the CNA Military Advisory Board and retired from the US Marine Corps after 36 years, finishing his military career as Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Opinion: The Gas Station Isn’t the Only Place Americans Pay for Oil
By Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer, USMC (Ret.) on December 22, 2014 at 10:30 AMWith gasoline prices lower than they’ve been in years, it’s easy to get complacent about weaning ourselves from petroleum. Sure, you might be spending less at the pump. But don’t forget the high cost our country pays for its over-dependence on oil – not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of national security, our economy and the lives of our men and women in uniform.
Automakers are making excellent progress in making cars and trucks more energy efficient, and in developing innovative options that don’t require any gas at all. And no matter what happens to gas prices, the drive toward sustainable energy independence must continue.
That’s a message I shared with local political leaders, veterans and conservative groups when I visited Michigan at the invitation of Young Conservatives for Energy Reform recently. Like my colleagues at the Military Advisory Board, I view energy issues through the prism of national security.
When I led Multi-National Force – West in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I saw how our troops’ dependence on oil put them at risk. Convoys carrying fuel for vehicles and power generators were a favorite target of enemy forces. In fact, the Marine Corps found that fuel and water convoys accounted for 10% of all casualties. In a modern war zone, saving fuel and deploying alternatives cuts down on dangerous convoys, and saves lives.
Since leaving the Marine Corps, I have been working with some of our nation’s most senior retired military leaders on CNA’s Military Advisory Board, examining the links between energy and national security. The MAB has called for cutting petroleum use by 30 percent by 2020, in order to boost economic and national security.
In the historic heart of America’s automobile industry, automakers are doing their part. According to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, from model year 2008 to model year 2014, fuel economy improved from 25.5 mpg to 30.8 mpg.
Thanks to national standards and consumer demand, these numbers will continue to improve. And by 2025, projections suggest, Americans will have reduced our dependence on oil by more than two million barrels per day. That’s about half of the oil that we now import from OPEC nations each day.
Too often, talking about efficient, clean energy becomes politicized. It shouldn’t be. And as I saw in Michigan – and as members of the Military Advisory Board have seen across the country – smart people from across the political spectrum understand that America’s oil dependence holds us back.
But fuel efficiency and high-tech transportation technologies – from electric vehicles to alternative fuels – are piquing interest across the nation. Americans understand that efficient transportation, powered by clean energy made here at home, drives our nation in the right direction.
Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer is a member of the CNA Military Advisory Board and retired from the US Marine Corps after 36 years, finishing his military career as Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Topics: Auto Fuel Efficiency, Comment, Energy Security, Fuel Consumption, Fuel Costs, Fuel Savings, Gasoline, Gasoline Prices, National Security, Oil, Oil Prices, Security, US Military