Press release - May 8, 2008
Today, the Natural Resources Defense Council and 26 other U.S. and Canadian environmental groups sent a letter to the Senate and House urging preservation of Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). Section 526 prohibits the Federal purchase of dirty fuels (such as liquid coal, tar sands and oil shale) whose lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are higher than conventional fuels.
The letter urges Members to oppose amendments to the 2008
National Defense Authorization Bill that would repeal Section
526.
The following is a portion of the letter:
"Section 526 protects our nation's national security
interests. High-ranking military officials have already warned
Congress that global warming is a serious national security threat.
Any steps taken by the federal government to address our dependence
on oil must not exacerbate the very real national security risks
posed by global warming. In this regard, Section 526 serves an
important national security purpose. Production of unconventional
fuels, such as liquid coal, tar sands and oil shale emit more than
twice the global warming pollution per barrel as conventional oil
at a time when we must be reducing our global warming
pollution."
To see the letter in full, please click here:
PDF and
HTML.