As Lieutenant Governor, Becky Skillman has been working hard to improve the energy security of both Indiana and our nation. At the present time we remain too dependent on foreign sources of energy. Should those sources someday be stopped, for whatever reason, we may find ourselves more at risk than ever before.

The path to energy security is laid out in Indiana's strategic energy plan, Hoosier Homegrown Energy. Governor Daniels and Lt. Governor Skillman unveiled the plan in 2005, and stressed the need to grow our homegrown Indiana solutions to energy needs. The state will accomplish this through greater energy efficiency, the use of the latest clean coal technology and striving to increase the use of alternative and renewable energy sources.

Growing our own has included promoting the production of biofuels such as E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel. In 2005 there was only one ethanol plant in Indiana. Today, thanks to Becky's leadership and guidance, 21 alternative energy plants are either in production, under construction, or in development.

After the ethanol is produced, it's important to get it into the gas tanks of Hoosier drivers. Becky has led a program that has taken the state from zero E85 pumps in early 2005 to a ranking of third in the nation in 2007 with 100 pumps in communities statewide. Due to early successes in fostering the ethanol industry, Indiana was also chosen to administer a federal grant that is promoting I-65 as a "BioCorridor." The BioCorridor will allow drivers to travel from Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama and never be more than a tank away from an E85 fueling station.

Finding new sources of energy through alternative power, such as wind and landfill methane recovery, is not the only way to increase our energy security. Energy efficiency will also reduce our dependence on energy sources that could become unstable. The Daniels-Skillman Administration has championed a number of initiatives to increase energy efficiency among consumers and industry. They have supported legislative and administrative changes that have reduced the disincentives that were keeping Indiana's utilities from seeking even greater energy efficiency.

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman knows that the majority of the fuel that keeps our military planes, ships and land vehicles running comes from foreign lands. That's why she's directed the Office of Energy and Defense Development to help Indiana lead in the search for an alternative battlefield fuel using Hoosier coal.

Not one single initiative alone can ensure our increased energy security. Becky realizes it will take a wide portfolio of ideas and solutions moving forward. She is committed to putting the state's resources to work to help build a more secure energy supply for future generations.