Washington, DC – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) released the following statement praising the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Agriculture for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together to reduce energy consumption derived from fossil fuels and to increase energy production from renewable resources: 

“I was very pleased to learn that the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are committed to working together to help our country reduce the consumption of foreign oil and promote renewable energy alternatives.  I commend Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for this important step, which will benefit both the Navy and USDA. 

“I have worked in Congress to promote renewable energy, such as ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable biomass.  I’ve also worked to push the Department of Defense to use renewable fuels whenever feasible.  These efforts reduce our need for foreign oil and enhance national security, but also have the potential to boost economic activity in rural America, create good paying jobs, and reduce air pollution. I’m also optimistic that many of the innovations developed through this Navy-USDA partnership will help us reduce our national energy consumption and increase our use of renewable energy.”

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