“The ruthless Russian invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy almost beyond comprehension, and for those of us born in the fifties, a deeply disturbing flashback to the early days of the Cold War. The human suffering is almost unimaginable. But there is an enduring lesson here we would all be well-served to learn finally and forever: Russia has been encouraged in its aggression and has gained immeasurable leverage over all EU nations and their collective security decision-making precisely and specifically because the EU nations are so dependent upon Russian fossil fuels,” said Supervisor Mike Turner Loudoun County, (VA) retired Air Force colonel, EOPA National Leadership Council. “Imagine how much less leverage Russia would have and how many more response options NATO nations would have if all EU nations had transitioned substantially to sustainable energy. The Ukraine crisis and its threat to global peace and security has brought into specific relief the immediate urgency for all free nations to move to a sustainable energy economy.”

Supervisor Turner speaks at a press conference last month at the Capitol for the urgent need to pass climate change legislation in the Senate to combat the clear and present danger fossil fuels represent and for President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act.

The Defense Production Act (DPA) authorizes the president to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts for materials deemed necessary for national defense, and allows the president to designate materials to be prohibited from price gouging and hoarding. The DPA was recently used to ramp up production of needed essentials to combat COVID 19 and to fight wildfires caused by climate change. It was made the law of the land in 1950 to help during the Korean War and subsequently the Cold War.

About Supervisor Turner

Supervisor Michael R. Turner was elected to represent the Ashburn District on the Board of Supervisors in November 2019.

He serves as the chair of the Board of Supervisors Transportation and Land Use Committee and represents Loudoun on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. He also serves on the Fiscal Impact Committee.

Supervisor Turner is a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a former command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours as both an air rescue helicopter pilot and a fighter pilot. A Desert Storm veteran, he served on the U.S. Central Command staff before and during the war. Turner’s final assignment was on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon in support of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993-1997, where he worked in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate.

Since his retirement from the Air Force in 1997, Turner has worked principally as a nonprofit development officer at six nonprofit organizations with varied missions, including disaster relief, encouraging entrepreneurship among America’s youth, providing free credit counseling to families in need and helping military and veteran families. He also has nonprofit experience in legislative affairs.

From 2003-2004, Turner was a military commentator for CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, KQED radio, and Newsweek online. In 2008, he was a candidate for the U.S. Congress from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

Turner is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Air Medal. He has a bachelor’s degree in science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in business administration from Chapman University in California. He lives in Lansdowne.