Report says U.S. military needs to wean itself from oil
A report commissioned by the Pentagon says the U.S. military needs to break its oil addiction. The country used an average of 16 gallons of fuel per soldier per day in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006, compared to four per soldier per day in the Persian Gulf War and one per soldier per day during World War II. The increase is attributed to cuts in troops and the use of centralized bases farther from conflicts. Also, this administration doesn’t give a hoot about conservation. The study says the rising cost and shrinking supplies of oil could compromise effective military response, and recommends alternative fuel and energy efficiency. “We have to wake up,” said National Defense Council Foundation President Milton R. Copulos, as Melissa Etheridge began to strum softly. “We are at the edge of a precipice and we have one foot over the edge. The only way to avoid going over is to move forward and move forward aggressively with initiatives to develop alternative fuels. Just cutting back won’t work.”
