Senator Schatz and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James Highlight the Military’s Efforts to Move Toward Clean Energy in Hawai‘i

Honolulu, HI - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James spoke today before members of Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE).  WiRE is a non-profit organization for women working in the fields of energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency and transportation.

In his opening remarks, Senator Schatz highlighted the partnership between Hawai'i and the Air Force to research, develop, and implement clean energy solutions. “The Air Force and other military services are not moving toward clean energy simply because they view it as their responsibility to be good stewards of the environment," said Senator Schatz. “It is because leaders like Secretary James understand that their efforts to transition to clean energy are good for the environment and for their warfighting mission.”

Secretary Deborah Lee James delivered the keynote address and offered remarks on the role of the Air Force in leading change in the energy sector with the help of many partners.

“As the U.S. Federal Government's largest consumer of energy we think about energy a lot,” said Secretary James. “Transforming the way we use energy, including investing in innovation and building an energy secure force, is critical to ensuring we are able to execute our mission in the future. But we can't do it alone, and we are thankful for the great public/private partnerships with state and local government, federal agencies, private industry, academia, and energy providers and regulators.”

Partnerships between Hawai'i and the Air Force have already produced cost-saving and energy-saving solutions such as a hydrogen-fueled weapons loader. This small vehicle that loads ordnance onto aircraft without the need for jet fuel is the result of a partnership between the Air Force Research Lab and the Hawai'i Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies.

The Air Force has shown it is committed to making Hawai'i a testbed for energy innovation, including a new micro-grid demonstration project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam that will strengthen energy resiliency for the 154th Wing of the Hawai'i Air National Guard.

Senator Schatz and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James with members of the WiRE Board
L-R: Julie Hong, Yvette Maskrey, Secretary James, Dawn Lippert, Senator Schatz