Energy Department Lauds King Power Storage Efforts
Statement
U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) advocated today for the Joint Long-Term Storage Act, a bipartisan bill he introduced with Senator Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) in a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee's Subcommittee on Energy. The bill could have tremendous impacts nationally and for the military, and seeks to improve America's long-duration energy storage technology through strategic collaboration between the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE). Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is also a cosponsor of the bill, and all three Senators serve on both the ENR Committee and the Armed Services Committee. Today's witness panel included Bruce Walker, Assistant Secretary in the Office of Electricity at the DOE, and Shawn Bennet, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Gas in the Office of Fossil Energy at the DOE.
"Energy, particularly the transportation of energy, is more and more important to our military, everything from radios on the backs of soldiers to fuel for tanks," said Senator King during the hearing. "During one of the Gulf Wars, Secretary Mattis said "unleash me from the tether of fuel'. It was a real problem, in fact lack of fuel stopped George Patton in World War II when he was headed across Europe."
"This is not only important for the grid, and for the economy generally, but it's a national security issue. Senator McSally, Senator Heinrich and I have a bill to work to develop a joint project with the Department of Defense, which is already doing research in this area and Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy (ARPA-E) or the Department of Energy and I hope you will look with favor on that proposal," Senator King continued. "I think it makes a lot of sense because this is an aspect of this issue that doesn't get all that much discussion. The [DOD] is the largest single user of energy in the United States, and battery storage, and storage for them is not only something nice to have, important to have but it's a vital national security concern."
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