More than 30 retired military generals and admirals are in Washington this week pushing Congress and the administration to pass the Senate trio's "American Power Act," despite the fact that the bill has not yet been introduced.

Jonathan Powers, COO of the Truman National Security Project, said at a press conference this morning that the national security challenges posed by inaction on climate legislation -- including U.S. dependence on foreign oil and global instability caused by climate change -- will help restart the stalled negotiations.

"We believe that will be one of the driving factors that continues to get this moving," Powers said.

He dismissed the notion that the current stalemate caused by Sen. Lindsey Graham's frustration over immigration will doom the bill, arguing that the South Carolina Republican "gets" the national security threats of inaction on climate policy. Indeed, Graham has continually cited the country's dependence on Middle Eastern oil as grounds to pass the bill that he and Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., have crafted.

The Truman National Security Project's Operation Free, a veterans' coalition launched last summer, held meetings with Kerry earlier this week and is meeting with White House energy and climate adviser Carol Browner today. That meeting will also include staff from the National Security Council, Operation Free spokesman David Solimini said. The group plans to meet with several senators as well, including Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and George LeMieux, R-Fla. -- but not with Graham, Solimini said. The group is also sending a letter to Senate leadership urging them to act on climate legislation.

Powers said the only major requirement the veterans have for a bill is a "strong cap on carbon," which the trio's bill was expected to have in some form or another. As for other climate legislation, like the bill sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, which also has a price on greenhouse gas emissions, Powers was noncommittal. "Cantwell-Collins could be another option down the road," Powers said. "We should drive the American Power Act first."

(cross posted from Energy blog)