Gov. Cuomo announced his support for a clean energy army base yesterday, writes the Watertown Daily Times. On a tour of Fort Drum, home to the 10th Mountain Division, Gov. Cuomo lauded efforts by renewable energy company ReEnergy to supply fuel for the base.

ReEnergy recently acquired an idle coal plant on the base, and is converting it into a biomass facility, which uses biological material to generate electricity. This new plant would not only supply all the electrical needs of the base, but also create 300 jobs in the area.

Gov. Cuomo further said he had written a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, urging him to approve a contract between the army and ReEnergy. The Defense Department has yet to reach a consensus  on further action.

The same day, the Department of Defense and Department of Interior announced plans to use land set aside for defense for renewable energy projects, with the goal of having renewable energy on or near military installations by 2025.