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~ ~A EPA Testimony on the Clean Power Plan 

~l 1 "C- ~ Washington, DC Testimony 

July 29t}', 2014 

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to discuss how climate change poses a 

direct threat to our national security and why the Clean Power Plan is a critical policy that will 

not only make us safer as a nation and also ensure global stability. 

My name is Adam Tiffen, and I am a U.S. Army Veteran. I served three combat tours in Iraq and 

Afghanistan as an Infantry officer. 

It was during my first deployment to Iraq in 2005, when as a rifle platoon leader, I was 

responsible for providing security for fuel convoys throughout A1 Anbar province. It was then 

that I first came to realize how dependent the U.S. military, and by extension, the United States 

has become on fossil fuels. Without energy we could not fight. Combat outposts, tanks, 

Humvees, aircraft, and radios were all dependent on one thing- energy. 

Due to the enormous demands placed on our supply chain, we could not alter our routes. We 

could not alter our schedule. Insurgents could literally set their watches by our convoys. This 

was the weak link in our supply chain, and it took enormous economic and personal sacrifice by 

our combat troops to secure the delivery of this energy to the warfighter. It is not an 

exaggeration to say that to secure the vital lifeblood of our forces, fuel, service members often, 

and in many cases unnecessarily, lost their lives. 

Beyond my direct areas of responsibility, I saw first-hand the impacts of war on innocent civilian 

populations, and the violence and chaos that occurs when some of the most impoverished places 

in the world are destabilized by conflict. The strong prey upon the weak. Civil society breaks 

down, replaced by extremism. Nations break into tribes, and tribes turn upon each other. The 

most vulnerable bear the brunt of the conflict. In Baghdad, suicide bombs killed indiscriminately 

turning market places into slaughter pens. In Kabul, high in the Hindu Kush Mountains, children 

freeze to death during the winters in refugee camps. 

As costly as Iraq and Afghanistan proved to be in both blood and treasure, they are a microcosm 

of what could be a new normal worldwide as a result of climate. 

Climate change exacerbates every struggle and challenge to global security and prosperity. From 

increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and 

storms, to resource scarcities, the impacts of climate change are already accelerating the risk of 

violence and conflict from Africa to the Middle East to the Pacific Rim. 

And while the impacts will be felt worldwide, it is the poorest, most vulnerable populations that 

will disproportionately suffer the most from the effects of climate change. Resource scarcity 
will lead to the destabilization of already weak governments, increasing refugee populations and 

spreading armed con#lict. 

Moreover, severe weather events have left these populations vulnerable to recruitment by 

extremist organizations that are poised to take advantage of the resulting economic and societal 

chaos. Nature abhors a vacuum, and where civil society breaks down as a result of tmrest caused 

by increased poverty and scarcity, fundamentalism and authoritarianism that poses a clear threat 

to our national security will assume control. 

Recent and ongoing crises in places like Syria, Nigeria, and Pakistan illustrate how a confluence 

of factors, exacerbated by climate impacts, has been a catalyst for conflict. If we as a nation have 

learned anything over the last decade, surely it is that events in far-flung places have a direct 

impact on otu• security at home. 

Therefore, climate change isn't just a risk abroad; it poses a direct threat to our national security 

here at home. 

'1'he impacts of climate change are also expanding areas of responsibility for our military. 

Recently, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stated that the melting of polar ice caps, a result of 

global climate change, is enhancing "dangerous potential for conflict in the Arctic." In an era of 

significant fiscal constraint, our military will be required to respond to these global challenges by 

spending precious resources and placing our men and women in harm's way. 

At a speech to the graduating cadets at West Point, President Obama called climate change "a 

creeping national security crisis that will help shape your time in Lmiform, as we're called on to 

respond to refugee flows, natural disasters, and conflicts over water and food." 

Climate change is not only increasing the risk of conflict, but also the frequency of climaterelated disasters that will require humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Whenever natural 

disasters occur around the world, nations look to the United States to react. In 2013, after 

Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, the U.S. Navy deployed marines and soldiers to 

conduct rescue missions and offer assistant within the first 36 hours. 

These humanitarian ventures are important because they uphold America's image around the 

world, but they Lmdeniably detract from primary missions. Climate change means more of these 

natural disasters, but as Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus noted, our military already receives a 

request for aid or disaster relief every two weeks. This burden will only increase if climate 

change continues unchecked. 

And the impacts aren't just felt abroad, but also right here at home. Rising sea levels and extreme 

weather events threaten critical infrastructure and reduce the operational capability of our 

military's installations. Rising number of weather alerts are reducing training days and impacting 

mission readiness. The National Guard is preparing for additional responsibilities responding to 
increasing frequency of natural disasters. During Hurricane Sandy, nearly 14,000 military 

personnel were mobilized to provide assistance to impacted areas. 

The science is settled, and the resulting impacts of instability will not happen at some far-flLing 

time in the future but rather are happening now. As a result, our military will be inereasingly 

stretched to respond to the ever more difficult challenges of protecting America's interests 

abroad. While I am confident that we can meet these challenges, this will not come without a 

cost. 

As Americans, we owe it to otur troops to do everything we can to keep them out of harm's way. 

By combatting the threat of climate change, we can prevent future conllicts and ultimately send 

fewer of our brave men and women in uniform into dangerous situations. 

This is why the EPA's proposed rule to regulate carbon emissions is so important. By lowering 

the carbon intensity of our electricity sector, we are able to mitigate these risks. In the process, 

we are unlocking enormous opportunity for economic growth developing a robust clean, 

renewable energy economy. 

While admittedly, the standard is not the full-throated response we typically see from the United 

States when confronted with a global threat of this magnitude, it is a signiflcant first step in 

showcasing America's leadership to address this critical issue. 

Building, strengthening, and leading the international community to respond in the face of great 

challenges has been the bedrock of American grand strategy since 1945. This is an issue that 

cannot be solved within our borders; although there is little doubt that America currently has — or 

ever had — the capacity to act alone, there is no other nation prepared or positioned to assume the 

responsibility of being a catalyst for global action. 

Our greatest generation defended Europe from horrific tyranny during World War Il. And in the 

wake of the destruction, when other nations were ravaged and struggling to recover, America's 

leadership rebuilt a world that upheld democracy and freedom—all while staring down the 

Communist threat. 

With an understanding that America's strength and security is inextricably intertwined with the 

fate of free nations, the men and women of that generation were actively exporting the ideals that 

make this country great. They sacrificed so much because they believed that the opportunities 

and liberties we experience should be available everywhere. 

The impacts of climate change would undermine every effort to build lasting, democratic 

institutions and create economic opportunity for all individuals. It is inherently un-American to 

turn our back and commit the world to that fate. 

We are at a critical inflection point in our history where we have so much to lose by inaction and 

so much to gain through action. We cannot presume that the world will act without leadership 
from the iJnited States, and we cannot expect other nations to act if we do not take the lead here 

at home. 

The time is now for the United States to lead by taking detinitive and real steps to curb the 

effects of global climate change. 

The United States must show the nations of the world that we take climate change seriously, and 

we must set the example by which others can follow. Witholrt taking serious, conerete steps at 

home, we cannot be a leader abroad. By setting an example, the United States will have the 

leverage it needs to influence our friends and allies to take such measured steps of their own. 

The world is watching, and they are waiting to see if this is just a blip or if the American people 

are truly committed to taking this issue seriously. As a veteran, I take this issue very seriously, 

and I hope that the American people and government leadership are ready to act. 

The time is now for the LJnited States to lead by taking definitive and real steps to curb the 

effects of global climate change. 

I thank you for your time and your consideration