Volume 159, No. 29 covering the 1st Session of the 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE COST OF INACTION WILL BE STAGGERING” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E213-E214 on Feb. 28, 2013.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE COST OF INACTION WILL BE STAGGERING
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HON. EARL BLUMENAUER
of oregon
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I submit this letter, which is an example of an opportunity for a bipartisan climate action.
The Cost of Inaction . . .
The effects of climate change in the world's most vulnerable regions present a serious threat to American national security interests. As a matter of risk management, the United States must work with international partners, public and private, to address this impending crisis. Potential consequences are undeniable, and the cost of inaction, paid for in lives and valuable U.S. resources, will be staggering. Washington must lead on this issue now.
Countries least able to adapt to or mitigate the impacts of climate change will suffer the most, but the resulting crises will quickly become a burden on U.S. priorities as well. Both the Department of Defense and the State Department have identified climate change as a serious risk to American security and an agent of instability. Without precautionary measures, climate change impacts abroad could spur mass migrations, influence civil conflict and ultimately lead to a more unpredictable world. In fact, we may already be seeing signs of this as vulnerable communities in some of the most fragile and conflict-ridden states are increasingly displaced by floods, droughts and other natural disasters. Protecting U.S. interests under these conditions would progressively exhaust American military, diplomatic and development resources as we struggle to meet growing demands for emergency international engagement.
It is in our national interest to confront the risk that climate change in vulnerable regions presents to American security. We must offer adaptive solutions to communities currently facing climate-driven displacement, support disaster risk reduction measures and help mitigate potential future impacts through sustainable food, water and energy systems. Advancing stability in the fare of climate change threats will promote resilient communities, reliable governance and dependable access to critical resources.
We, the undersigned Republicans, Democrats and Independents, implore U.S. policymakers to support American security and global stability by addressing the risks of climate change in vulnerable nations. Their plight is our fight; their problems are our problems. Even as we face budgetary austerity and a fragile economic recovery, public and private sectors must work together to meet the funding demands of this strategic investment in internationally-backed solutions. Effective adaptation and mitigation efforts in these counties will protect our long-standing security interests abroad.
Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State 1997-2001; Richard
Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State 2001-05; Samuel
Berger, National Security Advisor 1997-2001; Sherwood
Boehlert, US Congressman (R-NY) 1983-2007; Carol
Browner, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
1993-2001; Michael Castle, US Congressman (R-DE) 1993-
2011, Governor (R-DE) 1985-92; GEN Wesley Clark, USA
(Ret), Fmr. Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO;
William Cohen, Secretary of Defense 1997-2001, US
Senator (R-ME) 1979-97; Lt Gen Lawrence P. Farrell,
Jr., USAF (Ret.), Fmr. Deputy Chief Of Staff for Plans and Programs, HQ USAF; BG Gerald E. Galloway, Jr.,
P.E., Ph.D., USA (Ret.), Fmr. Dean of the Academic
Board, US Military Academy; Wayne Gilchrest, US
Congressman (R-MD) 1991-2009; James Greenwood, US
Congressman (R-PA) 1993-2005; VADM Lee F. Gunn, USN
(Ret.), Fmr. Inspector General of the Department of the
Navy; Lee Hamilton, US Congressman (D-IN) 1965-99, Co-
Chair, PSA Advisory Board; Gary Hart, US Senator (D-CO)
1975-87; Rita E. Hauser, Chair, International Peace
Institute; Carla Hills, US Trade Representative 1989-
93; Thomas Kean, Governor (R-N) 1982-90, 9/11
Commission Chair; GEN Paul J. Kern, USA (Ret), Fmr.
Commanding General, US Army Materiel Command; Richard
Leone, President, The Century Foundation 1989-2011;
Joseph I. Lieberman, US Senator (I-CT) 1989-2013;
Richard G. Lugar, US Senator (R-IN) 1977-2013; VADM
Dennis V. McGinn, USN, (Ret.), Fmr. Deputy Chief of
Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs;
Donald McHenry, US Ambassador to the UN 1979-81;
Constance Morella, US Congresswoman (R-MD) 1987-2003,
US Ambassador to OECD 2003-07; Sam Nunn, US Senator (D-
GA) 1972-96; John Porter, US Congressman (R-IL) 1980-
2001; Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security 2003-
05, Governor (R-PA) 1995-2001; ADM Gary Roughead, USN
(Ret.), Fmr. Chief of Naval Operations; Warren Rudman,
US Senator (R-NH) 1980-92, Fmr. Co-Chair, PSA Advisory
Board; Christopher Shays, US Congressman (R-CT) 1987-
2009; George Shultz, Secretary of State 1982-89;
Olympia J. Snowe, US Senator (R-ME) 1995-2013; GEN
Gordon R. Sullivan, USA (Ret.), Fmr. Chief of Staff, US
Army, Chairman, CNA Military Advisory Board; Timothy E.
Wirth, US Senator (D-CO) 1987-93; Frank Wisner,
Undersecretary of State 1992-93; R. James Woolsey,
Director of Central Intelligence 1993-95, Co-founder,
US Energy Security Council; GEN Anthony Zinni, USMC
(Ret.), Fmr. Commander in Chief, US Central Command.
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