PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Military leaders and veterans joined local officials Saturday at the Portland Public Library to gather support for an energy bill in Congress.

The veterans say that relying on oil is not only bad for the environment, but, they say, it helps fund terrorism by sending American dollars to oil-producing countries overseas.

They support the American Power Act co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. That legislation aims to cut greenhouse gases by creating cleaner energy sources here in the United States.

The veterans say that the Pentagon has looked at areas that could be hit by severe climate change like droughts and floods.

Military leaders believe that when those things happen, people in those countries become poorer, more desperate, and ripe for recruitment by radical groups like Al-Qaeda.

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