EPA Statementfor May 24,2012 (Chicago, Illinois) Brandon Bodor
Good evening, and thank you for the opportunityto testify on the proposed rule to limit carbon pollution from new powerplants. My name is Brandon Bodor, and I proudly spent the past seven years on Active Dutyin the United States Army. Mymilitary service included two combat deployments, one each in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007 and 2008, I spent 15 months fighting in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom during the heart ofwhat is commonlyreferred to as the 'surge' to quell the fierce sectarian violence that plagued the country after the initial invasion. Ireturned recently from a year in Kandahar, where I contributed to the strategic troop increase designedto turn the tide of Taliban momentum across southern Afghanistan. I continue to serve the country as a U.S. Army Reservist out ofFort Sheridan, Illinois.
I am here today to speak onbehalfofOperation Free, a dedicated coalition ofveterans who recognize that our nation's fossil fuel addiction and contributionto climate change threaten our national security. It is with that basic premise ofmitigating national securitythreats that Itestify today.
I am going to share with you an anecdote from mymilitary experiences that shaped my understanding ofthe implications ofour reliance on fossil fuels.
After a year oftraining my platoon in exercises across the German countryside, we deployed for a 15 month combat tour to Iraq in 2007. To refresh your memory, at the time the level of violence in the country was at an all-time high. Sunni and Shia extremist groups were killing each other at an astounding rate. My platoon was based in a neighborhood ofsouthern Baghdad known as Dora, one ofthe most volatile in the city. Mymen and Ipatrolled the streets of Baghdad everyday, and one thing was undeniably clear: the U.S. military has an intense reliance on diesel generators- areliance that makes us less safe. I have friends who were injured gravely from constant returns to baseto refuel. We must be cognizant that we fight a smart and adaptable enemy when the U.S. military is called to address problems globally. As such, we need to bejust as adaptable with new, unique ways to power our force.
The militaryrecognizes the grave threat to our security posed byAmerica's outdated energy policies. We send over SI billion a dayoverseas for our oil, funding regimes that simplydo not share our values. Themilitaryis the biggestpurchaser ofenergyin the country, and volatile oil prices can compromise mission readiness. Conservative DoD estimates saythat for every $1 increase in the price ofa barrel ofoil, the department incurs an additional S130 million in fuel

1costs. Just think about what that $130 million could be going to in the form oftraining or enhanced equipment for our troops.
Iwant to emphasize that oil is not the onlyproblem. All fossil fuels, including coal, pose athreat to our securityby disrupting our climate. We must remember that environmental issues such as drought, famine, migration, rising sea levels, and natural disasters caused byclimate change pose a threat to military installations and raise demand for military assistance.
We can all be a part ofthis fight here at home. The Defense Departmentis already using wind and solar power on many ofourmilitary bases. There is abold DoD-wide goal to deploy three gigawatts ofrenewable energy (including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal) on Army, Navy, and Air Force installations by 2025- enough to power 750,000 homes.
The EPA's proposed carbon pollution standard complements the military's efforts to mitigate the devastating effects ofclimate change. These rules will encourageresearch and development of clean, renewable sources ofpower in the United States. This practical and achievable standard requires new coal-fired power plants to be40-60% less carbon-intensive. Perhaps it would be easier not to worry about the environmental and securityharm that dirty coal plants and other fossil-fuel-fired electric utility generating units (EGU) yield. But our country has never shrunk from achallenge, and we must serve as a leaderin this fight.
In closing, Iwould like to remind everyone that costs come in a variety offorms. As a current MBA candidate at the University ofChicago, Iam aware that some ofthese costs will fail to showup onournation's accounting books. Havingpatrolled the volatile streets ofBaghdad and contributing to the logistical burdens that combat operations require, I can tell you that friends of mine came back with injuries that will never them. Some friends will never return. How do we account for that cost? Let me be absolutely clear: someone will pay for a lack ofcommitment to the transition awayfrom these forms ofenergy. Thank you sincerely for the opportunity to speak this evening. As a veteran and a member of Operation Free, I am proud to behere in support ofthe EPA. Clean, renewable sources of energy are akey tenet inkeeping America safe and strong. We have to treat this like amilitary campaign, and the proposed EPA standard is one significant Line ofEffort toward securing America with clean energy.

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