Senate Proceeding on Oct 1st, 2009 :: 6:53:30 to 6:59:25
Total video length: 11 hours 30 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Download OptionsEmbed Video

Views:179 Duration: 0:05:55 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

6:53:30 to 6:59:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Dianne Feinstein

6:53:33 to 6:53:53( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: quorum call: a senator: madam preside the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: i ris the barrasso amendment the presiding officer: if i can interrupt the senator, we are in a quorum call. mrs. feinstein: i ask the quorum call be vitiated.

6:53:54 to 6:54:15( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: i rise to oppose the barrasso amendment which would ban funding to the c.i.a.'s new center on climate change and national security. madam president, i make these remarks as chairman of the intelligence committee and who climate change institute.

6:54:16 to 6:54:36( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: the center for climate change and national security that the c.i.a. recently established is fully intelligence community's mission of protecting the united states. it's important to note what the center will not do. it will not do science on climate change. it will not make judgments about

6:54:37 to 6:54:58( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: how or whether the climate is changing. and it will not make judgments will why the climate is changing. that work will be done where it belongs, with the scientific community. the center will have three tasks -- one, it will con the decade-long program of declassifying imagery for

6:54:59 to 6:55:21( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: passage to climate change scientists. now, let me give you an example of some of that imagery. it is here on my right. this is barrow, alaska. this is barrow. this is the sea this is july, 2006. this is that same area july, 2007.

6:55:22 to 6:55:42( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: you see the decomposition of the ice? they point out its variation by time, and therefore you can track the impact of the change brought about by global warming from our satellites. so our satellites are measure and predict change.

6:55:43 to 6:56:04( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: here's another one. this i august, 2001. you see the melt ponds in the center and you you see it here, open winter in august, 2007. this is from a satellite.

6:56:05 to 6:56:25( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: and the third is much more difficult to see, but it's the bering glacier in alaska. here it is in may, 2005, and here are the big chunks that have broken off, and are there. and this is another more

6:56:26 to 6:56:46( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: di satellite photo of the bering glacier in alaska. the second task will be to assess the plans and intentions of other countries, and it will help the administration design

6:56:47 to 6:57:07( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: verification regimes for any climate change treaties so that policymakers can negotiate a position of strength. this is, in fact, a traditional role for community on a wide range of foreign policy issues. and thirdly, it will assess the national security implications

6:57:08 to 6:57:28( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: of climate change which many experts believe will be significant. this will include assessing the national security implications of increased competion for resources, population shifts, water shortages, changes in crop yields, and the spread of climate-sensitive diseases such

6:57:29 to 6:57:51( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: asthma layer yeah. this is the work that the i.c. is better positioned than anyone else in the government to do and where our contacts in the academic and t communities will pay big dividends. in fact, on september 25, the c.i.a. announced that it was

6:57:52 to 6:58:13( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: going to launch this new and tackle the devastating long-term challenges that climate change might present to our nation's security. in other words, the intelligence community the opportunity to collect information and

6:58:14 to 6:58:34( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: change is going to affect certain countries. the movement of populations, the devastation of crops, the disappearance of to be able to anticipate what impact that will have on the nation's policy and perhaps on our tional security.

6:58:35 to 6:58:55( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: i have no doubt impact on our nation's security. i also have no doubt that our satellites can give us a very positive -- meaning in the sense of crisp and of these changes as our satellites track climate change

6:58:56 to 6:59:17( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: across the years. there also has been put together a group of world-class scientists to evaluate this data and pass i ono policyholders. i believe very strongly that the center on climate change is warranted. i believe it will produce intelligence dividends for the

6:59:18 to 6:59:25( Edit History Discussion )

Dianne Feinstein: nation, and i believe it is entirely appropriate. therefore, i would barrasso amendment essentially