Hill Heat

Hearing page

FY 2023 Army budget of $177.5 billion represents an increase of $2.8 billion over fiscal 2022 enacted appropriations.

Line items of funding increases for base operation and maintenance include:

• Climate Change (Sub-Activity Group: 131) $22.5 million
• Climate Restoration and Modernization – Energy and Utility Program (SAG: 132) $167 million

Environmental restoration: $196 million for environmental restoration at active army sites and $227 million at decomissioned sites

Witnesses

• General James C. McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army
• Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army

McConville and Wormuth testimony:

In addition to investing in people, the Army is taking important steps in alignment with the NDS to build enduring advantage through climate resilience. The Army’s core mission of fighting and winning our Nation’s wars remains unchanged. Climate change, however, makes this mission more challenging not only for the Army, but the entire Joint Force. The Army must proactively adapt to climate change impacts and respond to climate risks to maintain its strategic edge in a climate change-impacted world. The Army Climate Strategy (ACS), which was released earlier this year, and the ACS Implementation Plan, scheduled to be released this summer, will synchronize our efforts to: increase capability; enhance installation resiliency; prepare for new hazards and operating environments; and modernize processes, standards, and infrastructure while reducing operational energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions. The Army requires resilient, efficient, and affordable installation energy and water infrastructure to support the Army’s ability to deploy, fight, and win. Army installations provide secure and sustainable facilities and infrastructure that support commander priorities, enable missions, and maintain soldier and unit readiness. The Army must increase installation energy and water resilience to anticipate and withstand future threats, including climate change-driven increases in extreme weather, and man-made kinetic and cyber threats that increase the risk of extended power and water disruptions. The ACS has set a goal to achieve a 50% reduction in Army net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030, shift to carbon pollution free electricity by 2030, and attain net-zero Army greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in order to build a resilient and sustainable Army that can operate in all domains. The ACS drives increased resiliency and capabilities of the force. The Army is moving out to install a micro-grid on every installation by 2035 to ensure installation resiliency as we face a contested homeland and an environment of increasingly severe weather. By 2040, we aim to achieve enough renewable energy generation and battery storage capacity to self-sustain critical missions across the Army. We are also on schedule to field an all-electric, light-duty, non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2027 and an all-electric, non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2035, reaping cost and resource efficiency, and adding to the resilience of Army transportation in spite of climate and energy challenges. The Army takes pride in stewardship of our lands and resources for the American people. The Army is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate its contributions to climate change and act as good environmental stewards to further protect the American people. We are including climate change threat mitigation into all land management decisions and incorporating the latest climate and environmental science into stationing, construction, and fielding decisions.