S.Amdt. 1044

SA 1044. Mr. SANDERS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

At the end of subtitle E of title III, add the following:

SEC. _. SECURE ENERGY FOR READINESS AND NATIONAL SECURITY.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified in writing
to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March of this year
that ``climate change can be a driver of instability and the
Department of Defense must pay attention to potential adverse
impacts generated by this phenomenon.'' The Department of
Defense must not only prepare for the impacts of climate
change, but also implement sustainable energy projects to
fight climate change and to enhance force readiness and
national security.
(2) Department of Defense Directive 4715.21, Climate Change
Adaptation and Resilience, states that the Department of
Defense must adapt current and future operations to address
the impacts of climate change in order to maintain an
effective and efficient United States military.
(3) According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, the
Department of Defense accounts for more than 75 percent of
all energy consumed by the Federal Government, and fully 30
percent of Department of Defense energy costs are related to
the operation of military installations. The Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 included goals to
reduce energy intensity in Federal buildings.
(4) The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Installation Energy has outlined a strategy to--
(A) reduce demand for military installation energy through
conservation and efficiency;
(B) expand the supply of distributed (on-site) energy for
mission assurance;
(C) improve the energy grid and storage resilience of
installations; and
(D) leverage advanced technology for energy resource
efficiencies and increased security.
(5) The rising costs of fossil fuel derived energy will
continue to cause budgetary pressures on the operation of
United States military bases.
(6) The United States Armed Forces have begun to implement
important alternative energy projects and energy efficiency
programs. However, the Department of Defense needs to do much
more to contain energy costs and improve access to reliable
and sustainable energy sources.
(7) Efficient lighting reduces energy costs, enables backup
power to work more efficiently during disruptions to the
electrical grid, and the payback periods are short. These
projects enable critical functions to continue longer in a
state of electrical emergency.
(8) In the face of growing national security and climate
crises, the United States Armed Forces require emergency
power backup, independent of the power grid, to confront
threats from sabotage, cyberattack, terrorism, extreme
weather, or mechanical failure. Currently, most bases depend
on fossil fuel backup generation, and as was evident during
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, fuel supplies are likely to be
interrupted during and immediately after extreme weather
events and other emergencies.
(9) Our Armed Forces require new and more reliable forms of
electric backup, including locally generated solar, wind, or
geothermal power with an uninterruptible power supply,
available instantly whenever other power sources fail.
(10) By reducing energy use, generating electrical energy
from both solar photovoltaic panels and wind sources, and
storing that energy in state-of-the-art batteries, these
projects will enhance the continuity of critically important
military functions in times of crisis, including the defense
of the homeland.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Distribution electric utility.--The term ``distribution
electric utility'' means a distribution utility providing
retail electric service.
(2) Geothermal heating system.--The term ``geothermal
heating system'' means a system that uses the heat from
ground water for heating applications.
(3) Geothermal power system.--The term ``geothermal power
system'' means--
(A) a generator that creates electricity from the heat of
ground water; and
(B) the accompanying hardware enabling that electricity to
flow--
(i) onto the electric grid; or
(ii) into an uninterruptible power supply.
(4) Higher-efficiency light bulbs.--The term ``higher-
efficiency light bulbs'' means light bulbs that are more
efficient than bulbs currently installed.
(5) Net metering.--The term ``net metering'' refers to a
system that allows excess electricity to be sold to a
distribution electric utility or transmission electric
utility so that the Department of Defense customer may either
receive payment or credit on their utility bill.
(6) Photovoltaic solar electricity generating array.--The
term ``photovoltaic solar electricity generating array''
means--
(A) a generator that creates electricity from light
photons; and
(B) the accompanying hardware enabling that electricity to
flow--
(i) onto the electric grid; or
(ii) into an uninterruptible power supply.
(7) Transmission electric utility.--The term ``transmission
electric utility'' means a transmission electric utility or
market purchasing wholesale power from a Department of
Defense installation through a capacity or energy market,
power purchase agreement, or other means, including sale from
a Qualified Facility into a wholesale market under the Public
Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-617).
(8) Uninterruptible power supply.--The term
``uninterruptible power supply'' means--
(A) an uninterruptible power source, uninterruptible power
system, continuous power supply, fuel cell, flywheel, or
battery backup; or
(B) a device which maintains a continuous supply of
electric power to connected equipment to provide power when
distribution electric utility or transmission electric
utility power is more expensive or is not available.
(9) Wind turbine.--The term ``wind turbine'' means--
(A) a generator that creates electricity from the kinetic
power of wind; and
(B) the accompanying hardware enabling that electricity to
flow--
(i) onto the electric grid; or
(ii) into an uninterruptible power supply.
(c) Authority.--The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a
program--
(1) to design and build wind turbines, geothermal heating
or power systems, and ground or roof mounted fixed-tilt or
dual-axis tracked photovoltaic solar electricity generating
arrays on Department of Defense installations, the generated
power from which shall be used by the military customer on
base or stored in uninterruptible power supplies or sold to a
transmission electric utility or through net metering for
additional revenue to be used by the Department of Defense or
utility energy services contractor as defined in part 41 of
the Federal Acquisition Regulation;
(2) to design and install uninterruptible power supplies to
mission critical functions; and
(3) to replace mission critical lighting with higher-
efficiency bulbs to maximize energy efficiency.
(d) Authorized Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2018 $176,500,000 for the
Secretary of Defense to carry out the program under this
section.
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