WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2012- The Senate approved Senator Kay Hagan’s, D-N.C., amendment to the military authorization bill Thursday that eliminates the prohibition on biofuel refinery construction.
The amendment to the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) strikes a section added by Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., that prohibits Department of Defense officials from entering into a contract to plan, design, refurbish or build a biofuels plant or any facility used to refine biofuels unless it is specifically authorized by law.
“Senator Hagan's amendment supports a Defense Production Act program that requires equal investments from government and private stakeholders to create full-scale advanced biofuels production capabilities,” according to Mike Breen, Executive Director of the Truman Project and spokesman for its clean energy campaign, Operation Free.
Hagan’s amendment, which passed with a vote of 54-41, follows the approval of Senator Mark Udall’s, D-Colo., amendment to the NDAA a day earlier. The Udall amendment removes a section, added by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., that stopped the military from purchasing biofuels more costly than petroleum. For more about the Udall amendment, click here.
“This is the second successful vote in two days supporting renewable fuels and the message lawmakers are sending is clear – biofuels play a critical role in developing a diversified energy portfolio to meet our growing energy needs and increase our energy independence,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis.
Hagan’s Amendment No. 3095 removes Section 2823 of the NDAA, while Udall’s Amendment No. 2985 strikes Section 313.
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