Rep. Lynn Jenkins voted Friday to block the Defense Department from spending any money to study the effects of climate change and its impact on national security.
The amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, one of two annual budget bills for the Pentagon, passed the House on a largely party-line vote, 231-192. All four members of the Kansas delegation voted in favor of it.
Jenkins, a Republican, represents the Second District of Kansas, which includes Lawrence and all of eastern Kansas outside the Kansas City metropolitan area. She officially filed Tuesday to seek her fourth term in the U.S. House.
The amendment bars the Pentagon from spending money, "to implement the U.S. Global Change Research Program National Climate Assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report, the United Nation's Agenda 21 sustainable development plan, or the May 2013 Technical Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis Under Executive Order 12866."
"This amendment insures that defense dollars go to defending our nation," Jenkins said. "Any significant policy involving our nation’s energy policy should be done through an act of Congress, within the Department of Energy, not simply through administrative fiat. The president cannot continue to simply ignore the duly elected Congress. If he wants to move forward with those policies he should bring them to Congress.”
The National Climate Assessment is a program that began in 1989, during the George H.W. Bush administration. The project involves numerous federal agencies, from the Department of Agriculture to the Defense Department, that are required to "assist the nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.”
In a separate report last year, the Defense Department acknowledged that climate change may "have significant geopolitical impacts worldwide, and accelerate instability or conflict."
The amendment was sponsored by Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., a noted skeptic on the human causes of climate change.
"Now, climate change alarmists contend that man-made CO-2 is the cause of climate change," McKinley said on the floor of the House. "Most people may not realize that 96 percent of all the CO-2 emissions occur naturally, and America's CO-2 emissions' contribution to the global community is actually less than 1 percent ... But even with these facts, decarbonizing America's economy is still a long-term goal of the climate alarmists."
Jenkins' spokesman Tom Brandt said in an email that she does not doubt the link between man-made carbon emissions and global climate change.
"However, the issue of this amendment is not whether or not human activities contribute to climate change, because it is pretty undeniable that they do," Brandt said. "The issue in this instance is does the President have the authority to divert resources that are meant to be spent on our nation's defense toward his own agenda without Congressional authority."
Comments
Don Frey 8 months ago
Oh my... She always puts CPA after her name....meaning Lynn Jenkins, "constantly put asunder."
Steve Jacob 8 months ago
That's the new line from the party, I heard it first from Sen. Rubio, that the Republicans believe in climate change, but any plan to fix it that spends money or cost jobs does not work.
8 months ago
It would be interesting to hear her state what she believes is Obama's "own agenda." I'm sure it would have to do with some kind of paranoid conspiracy theory. Obama has done the Big Money's agenda from day one...not the people's agenda (imagine that) and there is a whole bunch of cash to be made in this en-devour...
James Howlette 8 months ago
In other news, Lynn Jenkins is wrong about climate change.
Larry Sturm 8 months ago
Sounds like a Koch brothers vote to me.
James Howlette 8 months ago
I guess I should be more specific. Lynn Jenkins is wrong about climate change and voted to weaken the military defenses of this country. Doesn't sound either responsible or patriotic.
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
While McKinley is delusional, I'm kind of thinking that Jenkins' statement might actually make good sense.
Climate change has been characterized as a risk multiplier in military reports. Based on what I've read, that seems like an accurate assessment. It took some research to arrive at that assessment, and continuing to enhance their understanding of how climate change will affect our nation will require more; so, it is a bad idea to hobble Pentagon research efforts.
What I can't tell yet is if their research is in any way dependent on the specific organizations mentioned in the bill. If it is, then the bill interferes with their purpose of defending our country and cutting the funding effectively deals with the problem by closing our eyes. But, if it is not, and the Obama administration indeed has intentions of funding the military and then diverting some of that funding for other uses, that would be an abuse by the executive branch to be prevented.
I don't see enough information to know which is the case.
Bob Smith 8 months ago
No should the EPA be spending money to investigate ways of improving artillery projectiles.
Bob Reinsch 8 months ago
Climate has no more effect on national defense than typhoons have on the microprocessor industry.
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
More recently, there was this:
"First, a typhoon caused massive flooding to parts of Thailand at the end of August. This flooding has covered about one-third of Thailand’s surface area. What does this have to do with technology you ask? The flooding has had serious impact on the countries manufacturing business, notably the manufacturing of computer hard drives." http://www.cpgreeley.com/blog/cpnews/news-hp-and-hard-drive-shortage
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
But more seriously, there is a link between climate change and food security, a link between food (in)security and civil unrest, and a link between civil unrest and our military.
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
I'm admiring the amount of implicit connections in this statement. A typhoon is a hurricane in the Pacific. Most of our electronics are made in countries bordering the Pacific. Under our changing climate, the distribution of storm count by strength has shifted toward the stronger storms. It's clever, but I don't know how many people will get the implicit connections.
Scott Burkhart 7 months, 4 weeks ago
Thank you, Bob! Good simile.
Dorothy Hoyt-Reed 7 months, 4 weeks ago
A typhoon would have quite an effect on a microprocessor industry if it hit one of their manufacturing operations. And then the military would come in to prevent looting, rescue people, and help clean up the mess, bringing fresh water and food. So your point?
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
If the munitions might introduce toxic chemicals into a public water supply, then yes.
Chris Golledge 8 months ago
Bob R, is that an obscure joke? Because there was a single chip material manufacturing plant knocked out in the 90s that caused a many fold price increase.
Richard Heckler 8 months ago
Yes but the navy leadership is quite concerned about Climate Change from a national security position.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/03/09/admiral-samuel-locklear-commander-pacific-forces-warns-that-climate-change-top-threat/BHdPVCLrWEMxRe9IXJZcHL/story.html
Where does Lynn Jenkins go for guidance? To those who believe in Obstructing Environmental Protection
At the bidding of its major donors like Exxon Mobil and Koch Industries, ALEC is behind state-level legislation that would hinder the ability of government to regulate and curb polluters.30 ALEC has previously said that carbon dioxide “is beneficial to plant and human life alike,” and promotes climate change denialism.
The group’s model legislation assails EPA emissions guidelines and greenhouse gas regulations, destabilizes regional climate initiatives, permits free-reign for energy corporations, and pushes for massive deregulation.
Unsurprisingly, ALEC’s “Energy, Environment and Agriculture” task force is led by Tom Moskitis of the American Gas Association and Martin Shultz of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a major lobbyist firm for oil and gas companies like ConocoPhillips.
The group receives funding from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Amoco, the American Petroleum Institute, and the American Electric Power Association.
Additional background: http://www.pfaw.org/rww-in-focus/alec-the-voice-of-corporate-special-interests-state-legislatures#Voter
Phillip Chappuie 8 months ago
Who cares? The Congress throws money at the Pentagon like candy in the Macy's Parade. They will study whatever they want to study regardless. Lynn Jenkins should wear a head piece to keep the sand out of her ears.
Leslie Swearingen 8 months ago
I am very proud to write that my daughter and granddaughter appreciate and know about nature and how it works. They know that springs feed streams which feed rivers which run into oceans and then the water evaporates and returns to the earth to start the cycle over again. People used to live by the cycle of the seasons but their are no more seasons.
There is a reason why gluttony is a deadly sin for it leads to other sins of using up resources and then being willing to fight and kill for what it left. It leads to a few being willing to live good while not even seeing that they are sharing the planet with other people let alone animals.
Our military must be allowed to study climate change in great detail because terrorist groups are going to find it very easy to recruit those who are dying slowly of dirty water, unbreathable air and starvation not to mention the claustrophobia of being packed together in projects and feeling like the air has been sucked right out of the sky. If this is allowed to fester angry people will rise up and their will be no going back.
But, we are not yet at that tipping point and we can turn things around but we have to vote in people who will act on the behalf of us all.
Scott Burkhart 7 months, 4 weeks ago
No more seasons? Where? Did you miss winter around here the past few years? No, Henny Penny, the sky is not falling and there is no such thing as man made climate change even though Marcel announced that the matter is settled in another letter.
Bob Smith 8 months ago
Up next: "Department of Gender Justice Department of State and Islamic Outreach Department of Health and Why Guns Are Bad Department of Interior and Climate Change Federal Bureau of Land Management and Climate Change Federal Bureau of Investigating Climate Change (FBICC) National Aeronautics and Climate Change Administration (NACCA) National Food Security Agency (NFSA) Central Intelligence on Income Inequality Agency (CIIIA) Department of the Treasury and Loyalty Enforcement United States Air Quality Force" Lifted from AOS.
Bob Smith 8 months ago
Hmmm, somebody looked up "obtuse"….
Scott Burkhart 7 months, 4 weeks ago
You left out the Department of We Just Heard About It In the News Like You Guys.
Richard Heckler 7 months, 4 weeks ago
Inside the Military’s Clean-Energy Revolution = says screw politicians
"You can’t live off the land at sea, which is why the Navy has always looked far into the future to fuel its supply lines; the job description of admirals requires them to assess risk and solve intractable problems that stymie the rest of us.
Peak oil, foreign oil, greenhouse emissions, climate change? Just another bunch of enemies.
So when the Department of Defense set a goal to meet 25 percent of its energy needs with renewables by 2025, the Navy found itself fighting on familiar ground.
Four times in history it has overhauled old transportation paradigms—from sail to coal to gasoline to diesel to nuclear—carrying commercial shipping with it in the process.
“We are a better Navy and a better Marine Corps for innovation,” Mabus says. “We have led the world in the adoption of new energy strategies in the past. This is our legacy.”
More on this: http://www.wired.com/2013/02/full-green-ahead/
Richard Heckler 7 months, 4 weeks ago
Some 75 percent of the world’s fuel travels by sea, with 20 percent passing through vulnerable choke points like the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Aden, many guarded by US forces. Partly in defense of those lines.
The Department of Defense burns more than 12 million gallons of oil a day. About a third of the DOD’s fix goes to float the Navy, the world’s largest, with a battle fleet tonnage exceeding the next 13 biggest navies combined.
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/full-green-ahead/
Richard Heckler 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Lynn Jenkins is not a republican. She is a member of the Koch Industries political empire.
Lynn Jenkins cannot think for herself thus she has not realized she has been walking backwards for a few years now. Of course if she showed signs of moving forward and smart thinking Koch dollars and Aegis Strategic would be processing Ms Jenkins out of office in a flash.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/koch-brothers-candidate-training-recruiting-aegis-strategic
Do Kansas a favor and vote Margie Wakefield. BTW ignore all of the lies and misinformation Aegis Strategic and the Koch crowd will be demanding from the Lynn Jenkins campaign and sometimes from the mouth of Lynn Jenkins.
Again do Kansas a favor and vote Margie Wakefield.
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