May 11, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter to Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo, the Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell informed her of his support to have the National Intelligence Council (NIC) assess the national security implications of global climate change.

Eshoo, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote McConnell on April 18, 2007, encouraging him to support the production of an National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the security implications of global climate change and to integrate the impacts of global warming into NIE's and the National Intelligence Strategy.

"I believe it's entirely appropriate for the National Intelligence Council (NIC) to prepare an assessment on the geopolitical and security implications of global climate change," McConnell said in a letter received by Eshoo Friday.

"I'm very pleased that Director McConnell shares my concerns and those of the majority of House members that the U.S. Intelligence Community has to be prepared to deal with the national security implications of global warming," said Eshoo, D-Palo Alto.

Eshoo received McConnell's letter less than 24 hours after House Republicans failed to remove a provision from H.R. 2082, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, to direct the NIC to produce an NIE on global climate change. Eshoo, who chairs the Subcommittee on Intelligence Management, led the floor fight to keep the NIE in the authorization bill.

The House voted to sustain the climate change NIE, 230 to 185, before passing the authorization bill, 225 to 197.

On April 16, the non-profit CNA Corporation released a report from its Military Advisory Board entitled National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. The report recommended that climate consequences be integrated into the National Intelligence Strategy and National Intelligence Estimates.

Click here to read the correspondence between Rep. Eshoo and DNI McConnell.