Text 28581, 98 rader
Skriven 2007-05-04 19:05:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Dems
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http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070504-123740-8370r.htm


House GOP hits shift of spy funds to study climate
By Christina Bellantoni
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 4, 2007 


Senior House Republicans are complaining about Democrats' plans to 
divert "scarce" intelligence funds to study global warming. 
    The House next week will consider the Democrat-crafted Intelligence 
Authorization bill, which includes a provision directing an assessment 
of the effects that climate change has on national security. 
    "Our job is to steal secrets," said Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, 
the ranking Republican on the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence. 
    "There are all kinds of people analyzing global warming, the 
Democrats even have a special committee on this," he told The Washington 
Times. "There's no value added by the intelligence community here; they 
have no special expertise, and this takes money and resources away from 
other threats." 
    Democrats, who outnumber Republicans on the committee, blocked the 
minority from stripping the warming language from the bill. 
    Intelligence panel Chairman Silvestre Reyes, Texas Democrat, said 
the climate-change study is one of several shifts his party has made to 
intelligence policy. 
    "We're concerned that global warming might impact our ability to 
maintain national security," he told The Times, describing the idea as 
"cutting edge." 
    "We want to get feedback from the intelligence community to 
understand if there are possible global issues," Mr. Reyes said, noting 
the change was on the advice of "several former military commanders." 
    The panel voted 11-9 to keep the provision that directs a National 
Intelligence Estimate "on the anticipated geopolitical effects of global 
climate change and the implications of such effects on the national 
security of the United States," according to a Republican staffer 
familiar with the bill. 
    The study, which so far has an undetermined cost, would examine the 
science of climate change, among other things. Few details about its 
method were available, but the staffer said it would "divert already 
scarce resources to study the climate." 
    The staffer added that the U.S. already tried using intelligence 
resources for this purpose in the 1990s. 
    "There are other parts of the government better suited to doing this 
type of study," agreed Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican. "Our 
government should not commit expensive spy satellites and human 
intelligence sources to target something as undefined as the 
environment." 


The Clinton administration's Director of Central Intelligence created 
the DCI Environmental Center in 1997 to examine environmental issues. 
    In 1999, President Clinton announced he was declassifying satellite 
images of Antarctica captured by the intelligence community under an 
initiative to make public previously classified data. 
    A Clinton White House press release outlines Vice President Al 
Gore's role in making sure that 59 satellite images of the Arctic were 
released to "help scientists better understand the interaction between 
polar ice caps and global warming." 
    "Together with data gathered on the ground, the newly released 
images will help scientists better understand ecological dynamics in 
this extreme environment and their response to climate change," the 
release read. 
    Several Republicans trotted out the statistic that the government 
already spends $6.5 billion annually on global-warming related issues 
through several agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. 
    But Mr. Reyes said the provision "makes sense" because of the 
growing international concern over climate change. "We think it's time," 
he said. 
    Republicans were critical yesterday after The Times first reported 
the provision on its Web site. 
    "It's hard to imagine how anyone could believe that climate change 
represents a more clear and present danger to the United States than 
radical Islamic terrorists armed with bombs, but that's essentially what 
Democrats have concluded in this bill," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman 
for Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. 
    The House is expected to vote Wednesday or Thursday on the overall 
authorization measure, which identifies how intelligence appropriations 
can be spent in 2008. It is not clear whether Democrats will allow 
Republicans to offer amendments to the bill. 
    Last year, the Republican-controlled Senate failed to pass its 
Intelligence Authorization bill. 
    Mr. Reyes lauded his panel's work on the bill, noting that it will 
lead to "stronger, better intelligence," especially by adding money for 
human intelligence training and for sending analysts abroad. 
    For the first time, the bill will fund a "baseline" for intelligence 
activities related to terrorism and Iraq, he said. 
    He also said it will strengthen counterintelligence, enhance 
oversight and eliminate wasteful spending. 
    The completed bill, mostly considered behind closed doors because it 
includes sensitive information, passed the committee on a voice vote 
after a more-than-eight-hour markup session. Observers characterized the 
hearing as "chaotic and contentious." 

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