Link to Press Release
Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and Senior Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today responded to remarks made this week by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at an event sponsored by a far-left environmental group. Secretary Panetta said, “In the 21st century, reality is that there are environmental threats that constitute threats to our national security” and vowed that the Pentagon will take a leading role in shifting the way the US uses energy.
"I've always thought a lot of Secretary Panetta – therefore, I can't believe he caved in to President Obama in trying to legitimize global warming alarmism,” Senator Inhofe said. “Every assertion he made is right out of Al Gore's now debunked science fiction movie.
“The real threat to national security are policies that force DoD to expend increasing amounts of its scare resources on extremely expensive alternative energy, when President Obama has gutted the defense budget by a half trillion dollars over the next ten years. DoD is already drastically cutting its personnel, the number of brigade combat teams, tactical fighters, and airlift aircraft. It is cutting or postponing programs such as the C-27, Global Hawk Block 30, C-130 avionics modernization, the F-35, the littoral combat ship, the next generation ballistic missile submarine, and ground combat vehicles. Forcing DoD to expend more money on expensive alternative fuels further exacerbates its budget issues.
“The far-left green energy agenda being carried out at the Pentagon by the Obama administration is clearly in need of Congressional oversight. In the coming days and weeks, I will be working to put the spotlight on this radical agenda, which further drains our defense budget and puts our military at risk.
“I don't mind President Obama writing press releases for the rest of his lackeys but Secretary Panetta has an important job and doesn't need to waste his time trying to perpetrate President Obama’s global warming fantasies or his ongoing war on affordable energy. He has a real war to win."
