President Obama visits Buckley Air Force Base

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kathrine McDowell
  • 460th Space Wing Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) --  President Barack Obama was greeted by Col. Daniel Dant, 460th Space Wing commander, and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley here Jan. 26, amidst a flurry of media and wing members as he spoke on energy conservation and renewable energy.

Buckley AFB is a fitting backdrop to the commander-in-chief's speech. Following initiatives passed by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, an act directing the federal government to move towards renewable energies, the 460th Civil Engineer Squadron proposed to install 5,040 solar panels on base across more than six acres of land to incorporate solar energy on the installation. Three years after that proposal, the panels yield more than 3 percent of the base's energy.

Buckley AFB is a reflection of its state. Colorado, home of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Solar Radiation Research Laboratory, was ranked eighth in energy output from alternative resources by Wall Street Journal.