i know the premise or shares my concerns about this, but will he commit all he can to protect this? >> i think the honorable lady is right to speak up for her constituency and to speak up for shipbuilding. they have not approach the can with any proposal to rationalize the shipbuilding in the you gay but as far as i'm aware there are no decisions yet been taken by the country. what i would say, this governments me but to the royal navy is that we are building the global combat ships, where building the submarines. there is a plan for replacing him and also plans as well underway for having aircraft carriers. that is a major punch for the royal navy which i strongly support. >> thank you, mr. speaker. treasury tax rates on gas are putting 1500 jobs at risk. cannot ask the prime minister

not to be complacent about northeast jobs, but doing so that offshore development and guarantee tax relief in the budget, and speak to me about the job situation in the northeast? >> i think the honorable lady raises an excellent important point to i saw myself how vital this industry is. and, indeed, and, indeed, how much investment is taking place in the north sea. let me just reminder though that the reason we put up the tax on north sea was actually to cut petrol duty for fans up and down the country. but we will make sure that . i don't know why members are falling about unable to contain himself. i want to the prime minister's answer. prime minister. >> we will make sure there is a good tax regime for the north sea whether that is servicing jobs in england or indeed in scotland. >> peter bone. >> mr. speaker, last wednesday

they objected the laws to the reform bill. on seven occasions the commons voted, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister voted. but the children's minister, the honorable member for central refused to support the government and has spoken against the policy. now mr. speaker, on occasion i have spoken against the government that supported, but i am not a government minister. why is she still a government minister? [shouting] >> i thought -- be much we want to hear the prime minister's answer. and we won't if there's too much noise. prime minister that i thought he was going to say yes, the honorable lady is a government minister. she supports a government policy, as all government ministers do. >> 15,000 young people going to be affected by the changing --

[inaudible] about 1500 new claimants are going to lose 4900 pounds a year. >> i think the important value with respect to employment support allows is we're saying to there are two groups. there's the support group, people who are not able to work who deserve to get that support over and above jobseeker's allowance, and for as long as you need it without any element of insisting that the second element, the work-related activity group, are people who need help to get work but will be able to work. that's why they're in that group and they're going to get tailored help and support under the work program to get them into what but i know the labour party has set its face it's all of welfare reform. i think are making a massive mistake in doing so. >> what confidence can we have that unilateral intervention by russia will put an end to the

terrible violence in syria? >> i think we have very little confidence in that. frankly, russia and china set themselves against arab opinion and world opinion and pass it would've been a strong and good u.n. resolution that i think think my right honorable friend of foreign secretary was right to push that resolution. what we now need to see, and britain will be playing a big part in this, israel engagement with the opposition groups both inside and outside syria, bring together the strongest possible international alliance for a contact group so we can coordinate our efforts with respect to getting rid of this dreadful regime, and in making sure to the e.u. and other bodies that we continue with the sanctions and pressures. the bloodshed in syria is appalling. i think the russians have to look at their consciences and realize what they have done. the rest of the world will keep on fighting as hard as we can to give the syrian people a chance to choose their own future. >> thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday i heard an expert, health expert who is visiting

the you gay say that the nhs remains a beacon for care and effectiveness in the world. and it needs to be improved and perfected not change. will the prime minister accept that advice and abandon the health bill? >> what needs to be abandoned, that his labour's approach to the nhs in wales. let me remind him. he shakes his head. this is what's happening in wales. this is what labour are doing in wales. they have cut health spending in wales by 400 billion pounds. that is 6.5% cut. 27% of people in wales wait more than six weeks for diagnostic services. the figure for england is just 1%. as i said earlier, a third of people waiting over 18 weeks with operation in wales. that is what you get if you get labour, no money, no reform, no good health service. >> last but not least,

mr. martin evaders. >> thank you, mr. speaker. many of my constituents are among the three had 37 redundancies announced. the honorable gentleman from -- [inaudible] one possibility is the extension of the recent announced x prize over can the prime minister give some comfort to my constituents by sympathetically looking at that proposal? >> i am grateful for the honorable gentleman's question that he's quite right to speak up for constituents in this way. my right honorable friend the chancellor is happy to look at the idea of expanding the enterprise and and see what else we can do to help his constituents to make sure they get into work. >> order. two-minute rule of motion. can i just appeal as always --

>> here on c-span2, we will be the british house of commons now as they move onto other legislative business. you have been watching prime ministers question time and herbalife wednesdays at 7 a.m. eastern while parliament is in session. you can see this weeks question time question time again sunday night at nine eastern and pacific on c-span. and for my information go to c-span.org and click on c-span series for prime minister's questions plus links to media and legislatures around the world. you can also watch recent video in clean programs dealing with other international issues. >> on c-span today the senate confirmation hearing for president obama's ambassador to india nominee, the league of conversation voters. then live coverage of two house hearings.

>> where freedom is made real for all. without regard to race i believe our economic conditions. >> i mean a new america with everlasting attacks the ancient idea that men can solve their differences by killing each other. >> as candidates campaign for president this year, we look back at 14 in the ran for the office and lost. go to our website c-span.org/thecontenders to see video of the contenders who had a lasting impact on american politics. >> the radical liberal left continues to offer only one

solution to the problems which confront us. they tell us again and again and again, we can spend our way out of trouble and spend our way into a better tomorrow. [booing] >> c-span.org/thecontenders. >> you're watching c-span2 with politics and public affairs we? featuring live coverage of the u.s. senate. on weeknights watch key public policy defense and every weekend the latest nonfiction authors and books on book tv. you can see past programs and get our schedules at our website. you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >> president obama has nominated nancy powell as ambassador to india. she is currently the director general of foreign service at the state department and as previously served as ambassador to pakistan, nepal and gonna.

the nominee testified after senate, nation hearing yesterday. this is just over an hour. >> the hearing will come to order. it's my great, great pleasure, together with senator lugar, to welcome nancy powell, who has been nominated to be ambassador to india. and before we start talking about india, i want to say a few words if i can to talk about egypt. egypt is much on the minds of all of my legs right now. and the recent events in egypt are particularly alarming. the attacks against civil society in egypt, including american organizations like in the eye, iri, the international center for journalists

rittenhouse, our particularly disturbing. yesterday's prosecutions are frankly a slap in the face to americans have supported egypt for decades, and two egyptian individuals and ngos who have put their futures on the line for a more democratic egypt. right now, it appears that some people are engaging in a very dangerous game that risks damaging both egypt's democratic prospects in the u.s.-egyptian bilateral relationship. i have traveled to egypt three times now since the events last year, the revolution, and it is of particular concern to see things moving in this direction. the challenge in front of egypt is predominantly an economic challenge. egypt has burned through much of

its national reserves, treasury reserves, from some 40 billion, 42 billion, they have gone down to less than 20, burning perhaps a billion, 8 billion half a month. in order for egypt to make it to provide for its citizens, egypt is going to have to turn its economy around. and to turn its economy around it's going to have to re- attract the investor, the businesspeople, who helped to create an economy that was growing at 7% the year before the events in tahrir square. now that the economy is a tourist trade which equals about 8% or more of the gross domestic product, is at a standstill. when i was in egypt hotel occupancies were about 3%, 5%, maybe 11% on one of the trips. clearly without the ability to revitalize tourism is going to be difficult to revitalize the

economy. and without a revitalized economy is going to be difficult to sustain any kind of political leadership. and unless people get a message of stability and a message that is warm and welcoming to business and to capital, it is going to be very hard to turn the economy around, provide the stability necessary. this is a revolving circle that needs to be a virtuous circle. egypt faces an array of critical challenges, a fiscal crisis, a worsening security crisis. so i believe it's important that the egyptian government recognizes that it just can't continue to undermine civil society and persecute the very talent that is seeking to bring egypt security and prosperity. america stands as a ready and willing partner to support egypt's democratic transition and economic stabilization. but it requires an atmosphere in

which egypt's civil society and its american friends are protected. so i hope that this current crisis or challenge, stand off from whatever one wants to turn a comic and result in a thoughtful and intelligent way. or it may become very difficult to be able to do the kinds of things necessary. egypt obviously is important it is a quarter of the arab world. it is important for the stability of the region and it is important for the peace process ultimately with respect to the israel and palestinian, and with all the other turmoil, syria and other parts of the world from the challenge of iran, the last thing one needs is an egypt that isn't moving strongly and directly and forthrightly on the path to democratic transition, to a strengthening of its economy. now, turning to india, we are

really pleased to have this opportunity to discuss what is without doubt one of the most significant partnerships in u.s. foreign policy. there are few relationships that would be as vital in the 21st century as our growing ties with india and its people. on all of the most critical global challenges that we face, india really has a central role to play. .. >> president obama immediately upon entering office invited

prime minister singh to be his guest at the very first state dinner. secretary clinton has visited india twice, and both countries inugh rated -- inaugurated the strategic dialogue two years ago. we you said the need to capitalize on the democratic values and strategic interests that our two countries share. and that is why it is important we work together every day, as i believe we are right now, to further cultivate the relationship. given the significance of that relationship, we are particularly pleased that president obama has nominated nancy powell to represent us in new delhi. nancy is a former ambassador to both nepal and pakistan, and she has served tours of duty in both i could ya and bangladesh -- india and bangladesh, making her one of the foremost south asia

experts in the foreign service. she is one of our best, and it is only appropriate that she be tasked with one of the state department's most important postings. i think ambassador powell would agree with me that the u.s. and india interests and values are converging today as perhaps never before. and consequently, america is an interested stakeholder in india's increasing ascent to greater economic and greater global power and participation. india's economy is projected to be the world's third large in the near future, and total trade between our countries reached 73 billion in 2010 and could exceed 100 billion this year. on defense our security cooperation has grown so dramatically that india now conducts more military exercises with the united states than any other country. education is fast become withing one of the strongest linking between our nations, and i look forward to building on the

progress that we made at the higher education summit last fall. whether it's helping india to build a network of community colleges that can revolutionize access to education or whether it's creating educational opportunities via the internet, we can give millions of people a greater set of choices and opportunities for the be future. as our economies and education systems grow more intertwined -- and i'm convinced they will -- our peoples will have a greater opportunity to work together on technological breakthroughs. already india's playing a leading role in clean energy innovation. a report released last week found that india saw a 52% growth in clean energy investment in 2011, a rate higher than any other significant global economy. with leadership from companies like reliance solar, india has the world's fourth largest

installed wind capacity and incredible solar energy potential. that's why i strongly support the 2009 u.s./india memorandum of understanding on energy and climate change signed by president obama and prime minister singh which is being implemented through initiatives like the partnership to advance clean energy. it is clear that india's strategic role is also growing. we all agree that the dynamism of the asia-pacific region requires india's sustained presence and engagement whether to combat nuclear proliferation, to promote economic stability in afghanistan or to encourage human rights in burma and sri lanka. india enjoys strong cultural, historical, people-to-people and economic links to east asia, and i frequently hear that its eastward neighbors see real merit in india's contributions to regional peace and prosperity. in the coming years, i hope our

two countries can deepen our cooperation throughout asia not based on any common threats, but on the bedrock of shared interests and values. one area that is showing signs of promise especially on economic cooperation is the india-pakistan relationship. i'm encouraged that pakistan granted india most favored nation status and that the two nations are continuing their dialogue on a host of issues. and i hope both countries can seize this moment to break with the perilous and somewhat stereotyped politics of the past. there is no doubt that even as india moves forward and be even as we celebrate the pluses that i just enumerated, it is clear that india will also have to continue addressing its own complex domestic challenges. including the challenge of

building its own infrastructure, of dealing with booming energy demand, of dealing with some restrictive trade and investment practices and also the problem which is not just india's but a global problem of human trafficking. moreover, there are some 500-600 million people live anything poverty, but clearly india is moving rapidly through its own economic development to address that, and i'm confident that that will continue to change. so we can be real partners in this effort, and we can do so in ways that empower all classes of indian society. and indians, i hope, will feel that a partnership with the united states delivers real, tangible benefits to their everyday lives. so, ambassador powell, we thank you and your family for your service, and we look forward to the senate moving your

confirmation as quickly as possible. senator lugar. may i just say that we have a finance committee markup this afternoon on the transportation bill, so i'm going to have to turn the gavel over to senator udall shortly in order to be at that, and i appreciate ambassador powell's understanding of that. senator lugar? >> well, thank you very much, mr. chairman. let me just take the liberty of joining you in the concern you expressed about events in egypt. i was startled, i say shocked by the arrest and detainment of 86 americans involve inside attempting -- involved in attempting to work with citizens of egypt to promote democracy. i think each one of us over the years who have been involved in delegations going to other countries to monitor elections or to assist citizens with the

national democratic institute, the republican institute, various other groups appointed by our officials knows how much we cared about those countries and the follow through that we have exemplified. it's especially important as the chairman has pointed out that given the status of the egyptian economy, even before that the status of the egyptian people in lacking adequate food supplies far away from tahrir square that the united states is generous, is eager to be helpful. but we are facing comments from our colleagues who are wondering given the deficit system we have in our own country how we could be considering a billion and a half dollars given the situation we are looking at presently with regard to egypt. so i'm hopeful that as egyptians understand a friendly united

states but a unified united states that there will be at least a turn of thinking. i hope that will occur promptly. but in any event, i join the chairman in welcoming you, ambassador powell, back to the foreign relations committee where you have spent many happy hours, i hope. this hearing process with us offers an opportunity not only to evaluate your distinguished record, but also to examine the current state of our ties with india. i start from the premise that enhancing our relationship with india is a strategic and economic imperative. india's poised to be an anchor of stability in asia and a center of economic growth far into the future. it's a well educated middle class, larger than the size of the entire united states population. it's already the world's second fastest-growing, major economy, and bilateral trade with the united states has more than tripled during the past ten years. the united states and india are

working to build a strategic partnership that will benefit both sides, and we have an ongoing cooperation with india on many fronts. this includes efforts to insure security in south asia. india and the united states have strong incentives to cooperate on counterterrorism in the region and beyond. we also share concerns about the stability of afghanistan and pakistan and a growing military capability of china. energy cooperation between the united states and india should also be at the top of our bilateral agenda. india's energy needs are expected to double by the year 2025. the united states has an interest in expanding energy cooperation with india to develop new technologies, cushion supply disruptions, address environmental problems and diversify global energy supplies. the united states' own energy

problems would be exacerbated if we do not forge partnerships with india and other nations experiencing rapid economic growth. 2008 the united states concluded the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with india. it lifted a three-decade moratorium on nuclear trade with india and opened the door for trade and a wide range of other high technology items such as supercomputers and fiberoptics. this agreement remains important to the broad, strategic advancement of the united states/indian relationship. but in the narrower context of nuclear trade with india, it has yet to bear significant fruit. in large measure this stems from the indian parliament's adoption of the civil liability for nuclear damage bill. effectively rules out indian accession to the convention on supplementary compensation for nuclear damage, the csc, and it

could frustrate the united states nuclear industry's efforts to play a role in india's expanding nuclear power sector. the bill in plain terms are fundamentally inconsistent with the liability regime that the international community is seeking to achieve in the csc. to date, this administration has made very little progress on the csc with india, and i am hopeful that you will address the obama administration's strategy for advancing u.s./india nuclear cooperation. what high-revel exchanges -- high-level exchanges have occurred between our governments regarding the us the of liability protections for u.s. nuclear exporters to india? and more broadly, what is the current state of our energy dialogue with new delhi? i would also appreciate your views onion going security cooperation in south asia. in light of the obama administration's attempt to

reduce forces in afghanistan and our complex relationship with pakistan, what opportunities exist for u.s./indian initiatives designed to combat terrorism? i'll look forward to hearing your views about how to address these and other important issues in the united states. i thank you for coming today to be with us, and i thank the chair. >> thanks very much, senator lugar, appreciate it. ambassador powell, we welcome your testimony, and i don't know if you want to introduce any family members, but we welcome that also. >> mr. chairman, senator lugar, i'm honored to appear today as president obama's nominee to be the ambassador of the united states to the republic of india. and i am grateful for the president and secretary clinton's trust and confidence. i'd like to thank the committee for giving me the opportunity to appear again before you. if confirmed, i look forward to working closely with you to advance our strategic partnership with india.

i'd like to say a special thank you to my state department family members who are here today with me and for their support and advice during my preparation for the hearing. i've had the pleasure of serving in india with previously from 1992 through 1995 as the consul general in calcutta and minister counselor for political affairs in new delhi. i thoroughly enjoyed my time in india where i had the opportunity to observe the beginnings of india's dramatic economic transformation and to participate in the early efforts to expand our bilateral relations. today i see an india that has catapulted itself onto the global stage. india's become an economic powerhouse having averaged 7% annual economic growth over the last decade. lifting tens of millions of its citizens out of poverty. india will also be a leading security partner of the united states in the 21st century.

the number and kinds of interactions between our two countries at all levels is staggering in its breadth and depth. at it heart are the people-to-people links, students, businesses and tourists along with the three million strong indian-american community. at the government-to-government level, our relations are firmly ground inside a set of -- grounded in a set of shared democratic values and an increasingly shared strategic vision about the opportunities that can promote those values as well as the threats that can undermine them. if confirmed, i will be working with an interagency team at the embassy in new delhi and our four consulates to advance a growing agenda that includes issues that are most vital to our national security and prosperity. among our top priorities will be the following: bolstering trade and investment. we've made unprecedented progress in expanding our

economic relations with india. our pi lateral goods and services trade, we'll top over $100 billion in 2012. this represents an astounding quadrupling of trade since 2000. moving india up from our 25th largest trading partner to our 12th. i look forward to working with the interagency team and with our indian counterparts to reduce barriers including through the negotiation of a bilateral investment treaty and to expand the areas where we do business. i am eager to support efforts to insure full implementation of the civil-nuclear cooperation agreement including insuring a level playing field for american companies in the commercial application of nuclear energy. the u.s. mission in india actively seeks opportunities to keep and create jobs in america. in response to the president's national export initiative, the u.s. mission promotes the export of u.s. products, services and

technologies supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the united states. india with its population of 1.2 billion and it large consumer economy represents a huge, fast-growing market for manufactured goods. our exports are growing at nearly 17% a year. at this rate exports from the united states to india are expected to near he double in five years -- nearly double in five years. another priority is our defense cooperation which currently is at an all-time high. u.s. defense sales to india reached nearly $8 billion last year, and india holds more military exercises with the united states than with any other country. as stated in the national security strategy, we see india as a security provider in the indo-pacific region. as india continues to modernize its armed forces, there are

additional opportunities for us to expand our cooperation across all the services and at all levels. i appreciate the congress' support for expanding defense ties and note the report delivered to congress in november on potential defense cooperation with india. we will also work to enhance our cooperation in international and multilateral fora, reflecting its growing importance, india's an increasingly active member of key international bodies including its current tenure on the united nations security council, its inclusion in the g20, the east asia summit, the south asian association for regional cooperation and the world trade organization. in december we held the first-ever trilateral consultations with japan, india and the united states. encouraging india's leadership and cooperation across the asia-pacific will be a top priority. if confirmed, i look forward to

expanding our consultations and collaboration, narrowing our differences on key multilateral issues and working with the government of india to advance international peace and security through common understandings and approaches to strengthen these bodies and the international community's ability to address the threats that face our world. another priority will be encouraging india's role in supporting peace and stability in the indian ocean region. india and the united states share a common interest in supporting continued efforts to establish a peaceful, prosperous and democratic indian ocean region. taking a cue from history, the new silk road vision foresees a network of economic, transit, trade and people-to-people connections across south and central asia. india supports this vision and is a significant donor in afghanistan.

and has taken steps to facilitate better trade with pack tan -- pakistan. i look forward to increasing cooperation on global threats. terrorist groups like lash car i tie baa pose threats to u.s. strategic objectives in the region. as well as to advance our efforts to expand cooperation in the areas of non-proliferation and nuclear security. as national intelligence officer for south asia, these were issues that i dealt with firsthand. if confirmed, i will also continue engagement with indians to advance human rights and freedoms that are constitutionally protected in both our countries and to work to encourage democratic institutions in countries like afghanistan.

if confirmed, i look forward to participating in and advancing the u.s./india strategic dialogue as well as the substantive exchanges on more than 20 distinct policy areas including education, agriculture, energy and development. i hope we can use this framework to address issues of mutual concern and to enhance collaboration to achieve concrete results that create additional opportunities for our two peoples and that eliminate threats to our two democracies. i take seriously my be role as chief of mission in the management of our government resources. the people, infrastructure and be programs that are committed to this relationship and will work to insure that they are protected and used creatively to enhance u.s. interests. if confirmed, i will devote my energies and experience to enlarging and expanding our relations with india. i believe we can continue to

convert our vision for a future of peace and prosperity based on our mutual democratic values into a reality through expanded exchange, dialogue and engagement at all levels of society and government. thank you very much. >> thank you, ambassador powell. we really appreciate your testimony, and i came in a little bit late, and i think as chairman kerry said, i'm supposed to take over for him. let me just say initially that in looking at your resumé and seeing your long history of service to the state department that we really appreciate that public service. i mean, some of the areas you've served in are very difficult areas in the world, and i'm sure you've done it with enthusiasm

and a great spirit of public service. so thank you for doing that. um, i, i just returned, ambassador powell, from recently visiting india for the first time. i was lucky to go with a group, um, a codell headed by senator warner, and we had both of the co-chairs of the india caucus that senator warner is a co-chair in the house and representative crowley, the congressman from new york, from queens is the chair. and they had been there a number of times. i think crowley had been there eight times, and so i learned a lot from that discussion. and one of the things i did was, was meet with this, the nobel laureate, dr. pachari. we had a long discussion about

india's energy needs and energy demands and the need to address climate change. he expressed his disappointment with the outcome in durbin, south africa, and it's believed that a multilateral solution is needed to really make progress on this issue. with regards to the scientific issues, he stated he believes that the findings on that committee that he co-chairs are stronger and that heat waves and other abnormal, the abnormal climactic events are increase anything frequency and intensity. and while meeting with him and other business leaders, i stressed not only the need to invest in renewable energy, but also the opportunities presented by increased investment and partnership between the u.s. and india. with india in need of increased sources of energy to maintain its economic growth. how do you think the u.s. should work to facilitate partnerships between the u.s. and india to

promote renewable energy? >> senator, i'm pleased that you had the opportunity to visit india and look forward to, if confirmed, to welcoming you back often. >> thank you. >> on the energy side, i think those who look at india's progress and its potential almost universeally will point to energy as one of the key determinants in how india addresses its growing energy needs not only for it economic development, but also for advancing the needs of it people for electricity and other sources of energy. i think we are poised to be very, very good partners on this. we have an energy dialogue as part of the 20 that i mention inside my testimony -- mentioned in my testimony. it is done at the highest levels and involves a look attritional sources of energy as well as new technologies. we also ha a partnership that senator lugar mentioned in his

testimony that is looking particularly at innovations in energy. i think given the very strong scientific community's, the very strong entrepreneurial communities in both of our countries that this is a extraordinarily important complement to the government efforts. there will certainly have to be support for some of these technologies, support for the research, regulatory framework that allows them to be used. but the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of our two countries, i think, provide us with opportunities to look at these new sources. the partnership provides funding. a.i.d. is also working with what they consider to be an incubation incubator approach in india that will allow for programs to be experiments and others to be looked at for plus-up by the private sector in india for use in other parts of

the developing world. i think all of these are very important. obviously, the civil-nuclear energy piece is another important part of the dialogue of trying to make sure that as india turns to nuclear energy to provide some of its energy resources, that it can benefit from the extraordinary technology that u.s. companies bring to nuclear energy for the safety and security standards and to working with those companies, with the government of india to find a way for us to have a level playing field for that endeavor. >> ambassador, thank you very much for that answer. and i, i think one of the areas and your willingness to work on the renewable energy issues, i think one of the areas that could be a welcome development would be with the villages in india. as you know, i mean, you've served over there, we have more -- double than the people in the united states, 700

million people that live in villages, many times without adequate drinking water, clean drinking water, no electricity. and those kinds of conditions -- [inaudible] for deploying solar panels or wind or something out in those villages. d.pachari, by the way, has an ngo where he has started an intrep do you recall model. he puts a solar panel in a village, has one of the women who really organizes the village take charge of it. she then leases out the solar panel to charge solar land it weres -- lanterns, and this replaces the kerosene lanterns which are very dangerous and can't be used under nets and thicks like that. and -- things like that. and it seems to me that this whole area is one that there's a

huge potential if we work with them, if we partner with them to help them get electricity into theville ages without -- theville ages without moving all of the village people into the cities which i think could end up causing serious problems. and with that, i'm not really asking a question there, but it's an honor to be here with senator lugar and to be up here chairing this, and i look forward to his questions and any others as we move along. >> well, thank you very much, mr. chairman. let me just raise a different subject for the moment because in recent days press reports indicate that india's oil and natural gas corporation, ongc, has come under pressure to finalize a service contract for natural gas production with iran. could you, please, give us your thoughts on an indian company's involvement in iran's energy

sector, particularly something of this significance? >> senator, iran and india have a long tradition of trade across energy and other fields. it is one that is clearly a part of our sanctions regime that we are hoping to see it significantly reduced. i noted in foreign secretary ma tie's speech yesterday he indicated that the current efforts to diversify india's sources of oil and petroleum and a reduction in their use of iranian oil to 10% or less. and i think these are positive developments. i think our own efforts to support india in looking at other sources of energy will be a contributor to this, and we will certainly, if confirmed, i know that this is going to be one of the issues that i will be

spending a great deal of teem on and work -- time on and working with the iranian sanctions legislation, with our own policies and with the indians to work with them. >> well, speaking of our assistance in this respect, as you pointed out earlier large numbers of indians lack access to electricity and energy poverty limits their economic advancement options. the scale of that challenge, however, demands transformational technologies such as senator udall was pointing out. and this leads to my question, please, describe efforts as you see them being made by indian entrepreneurs to tackle energy poverty and what barriers stand in the way for american entrepreneurs to enter the indian market for the so-called transformational, dynamic, exponential strategies that alone really are going to be

able to meet the doubling of demand which we've talked about in our earlier statement. >> the two official government-to-government dialogues are on energy policy specifically and then on trade which includes a variety of looking at various ways to encourage trade to determine how barriers can be reduced and to look at ways to make it possible for american companies to participate. we have some very good success stories. i was looking at the results of an arizona company that has been quite successful on solar energy and to find using our resources at the embassy, our commercial services, our discussions with the private sector through the india business council, u.s./india business council, the american chamber of commerce and others to find those links where we can put american companies in

touch with opportunities for them to provide their expertise. i would also point to what usaid is doing. although the amounts of money are relatively small, i think the payback potential is very, very high. if we can encourage innovation, we are partnering with indian private sector on this. we are also providing a mechanism for funding called the clean energy finance center that will develop opportunities to think creatively about how to finance new and somewhat risky adventures sometimes. but to make it possible for the private sector to participate in this, not to depend strictly on government funding. i think although our projects are relatively small in their scope, the indians have a very good network of working with the many, many villagers and trying to work on this. if i could just piggyback on senator udall's comments, my

experience in nepal with the lanterns was a fantastic one. it made an enormous amount of difference in the ability of children to do their homework, to stay in school and to have an opportunity to encourage literacy. it also in a similar way empowered women and provided a source of income for them through the sales of these very small-scale entrepreneurships with the lamps. and i think it's a very, very good program. it's been used in other countries as well. >> well, we'll count upon you to reduce the barriers to american entrepreneurs working with indian entrepreneurs to the benefit of the people. >> thank you. >> let me just finally ask, you mentioned earlier the dialogue between the united states and india on 20 different areas. now, last year secretary clinton visited india, discussed the u.s./india strategic dialogue at that time, and as you pointed

out, the dialogue includes security, regional cooperation, partnership in technology. but can you highlight for us the most effective parts of the dialogue and the ones in which you believe the administration hopes to make most progress in the coming year? >> i think, um, my timing is quite good. foreign secretary mattai is in the united states right now, and although i'm not in a position to meet with him, my colleagues at the state department are, and he had, i believe, extensive meetings this morning setting up the agenda for the june or july meeting, the next meeting here in washington of the strategic dialogue. he also spoke yesterday, and i believe i could certainly endorse the agenda that he put forward of the things that are very, very important. certainly, the energy dialogue is one of those. the trade dialogue, our cooperation in looking at our defense partnership, our look at

making sure that we are looking at what we would call our homeland security dialogue, our counterterrorism dialogue is a new and, i think, a very dynamic part of the dialogue that will continue to be a priority for both countries. maritime security i feel certain will be part of the dialogue as well this summer, and as a former high school teacher, i would like to see the education dialogue raise today the cabinet level strategic dialogue as well. >> presumably, intelligence sharing will be part of that -- >> absolutely, as part of the homeland security and counterterrorism. >> thank you very much. >> senator me 9/11 december? -- menendez? >> thank you, mr. chairman. ms. powell, congratulations on your -- >> thank you. >> i have a concern, i'm a strong believer that this relationship between the united states and india is a critical one, but i am sure as you're aware in december i, along with

other colleagues, sponsored legislation in the congress by amendment that the president, the the senate passed unanimously and the president signed into law with reference to comprehensive sanctions on the financial institutions of the central bank of iran. and i've been encouraged by the efforts of japan, the efforts of south korea and others to look for ways to come into compliance with the law. they've come to it even as they face challenges, obviously, in doing so. but they've come to it with the attitude of how do i meet these, the spirit of these sanctions and try to insure that we are not subject to any sanctions and that we are working not only with the united states, but the international community to insure iran does not achieve nuclear power. however, the indian government which is one of iran's largest

crude customers seems to be rebuking the sanctions and looking for work arounds including considering payments in gold and transactions that detour around the central bank of iran which at the end of the day still is helping the iranian government have the resources to fuel their nuclear ambitions. for our sanctions to be effective, it's really crucial that all nations -- particularly democratic nations like india -- work together to confront iran and insist that it terminate its efforts to achieve nuclear weapons capability. what is your view of the indian government's rationale to achieve, i mean, to support the iranians in this regard, and if you are confirmed as our ambassador, will you carry the message to new delhi that this is a policy priority for the united states and that we will not hesitate as appropriate to

pursue the law as it exists? >> senator, certainly if confirmed, i understand and appreciate that this is going to be a very important topic and one of those that i will be dealing with very seriously and very early in my tenure. it is, i think approaching it perhaps a little bit differently than you did, but to recognize that iran shares with us -- excuse me, india shares with us, um, a desire to see a non-nuclear state in iran. they have supported us in the iaea four times, we continue to have a very important dialogue, um, at the most senior levels of the u.s. government, and i fully intend to be a part of that i do log. dialogue. i believe that making sure there is clarity on what the legislation and the u.s. sanctions means, what they --

their implications for india is one step. also looking to make sure that we understand what actions india's taking. foreign secretary mattai yesterday in his public remarks commented that there already appears to be a reduction in the amount of oil, the percentage of oil that india receives from iran out of its total imports. that would be a very good sign. but i will certainly commit to working very hard on this issue. >> well, i appreciate that. this is incredibly important to us. if countries like india are, basically, going to pay and go, find other ways to circumvent the sanctions, while i appreciate what you said about india sharing our goals, well, you can share our goals, but you could ultimately continue to facilitate the resources that are necessary for iran to achieve its nuclear power.

and so we need more than their goodwill of sharing our goal, we need their actions to join us and the rest of the international community in that regard. and i hope you will, if confirmed and in short order, hopefully, be in india that this will be one of your top priorities. would you tell us as the committee that this will be one of your top priorities when you get there? >> it most certainly will be one of the top priorities. >> now, lastly, and i won't take all of the time that i have left, but i do want to ask a question that i'd like you to answer for the record. and it has to do with your present position. as the head of the, in essence, the work that has to be done for our overall recruitment. i am seriously concerned that despite years that i have been raising this including with your

advent to this office that the issue of hispanic recruitment at the state department remains pathetic. in the 2010 census, it is indicated there are over 50 million hispanics in the united states, 16 president of the population -- 16% of the population. yet, however, hispanics make up only 5% of the state department's employees and about 6% of foreign service specialists. and so i'd like two things for the record. one is can your office share the most recent statistics with the committee as well as what barriers you have encountered in any effort to improve your outreach, recruitment and retention of qualified hispanics. this is really probably in all of my work in this regard, this is really one of the worst departments of the federal government as it relates to hispanic participation.

and i appreciate what has been said about the state department reflecting the look of america. well, when 16% of the population and growing dramatically is nowhere near the reality of what is happening at the state department, that doesn't include a full look of america. so as you move on to your next assignment, i'd like to get the benefit of whatever channels there were so that we can look at your successor in this role and have a strategic plan as to how we change those number around. >> senator, may i respond just briefly? >> absolutely. >> we clearly will give you more details in the taken question, but, um, i took very seriously your charge to me when i, um, accepted the director general position, was confirmed by the committee. to try to improve the outreach to hispanic and other minority communities, to make sure that they understood what opportunities were available to them at the state department whether it was the foreign service or the civil service and

to expand the information that they had, their ability to ask questions, to be informed and to participate with us. i share with you a desire to see a better than 5% ratio for the hispanics in the foreign service and a 4.9 for the civil service. but i do have some encouraging statistics about the efforts of a very, very vigorous and targeted recruitment effort that we've undertaken over the last two to three years. in the past year, we have among the people who have taken the foreign service test, we had an increase of 82% among the hispanics. from those who passed the test having taken it, 172% increase by hispanics, and for the hiring, a 43% increase. those statistics, if we can maintain them and i certainly think that my successor will be commit today the effort that we've started, represent an opportunity to improve on our

total percentage of hispanics. i'd also like to share one other statistic with the committee because the other part of our outreach in addition to our minority populations was to our disabled veterans, and we have been able in the foreign service generalists to increase by 350% the hiring of disabled veterans and among our specialists, a whopping 4700% or increase. so i would also like to comment that the number of, um, minorities including hispanics that are part of our pickering and wrangell fellowship programs, these provide opportunities as well as internships and other experience in the department has increased dramatically, and i personally served as the mentor for our hispanic affinity group which has been reenergized under the

leadership of its new president. and i took great pride in working with them. >> well, i appreciate that, and i look forward to seeing in the employment figures which you gave which are very sound promising, but what sections across the spectrum they are. but thank you very much. >> senator webb. >> thank you, mr. chairman. ambassador, congratulations. i wish you well in the new assignment which i know you're going to be confirmed for. you've got a terrificwell of experience -- wealth of experience in this region, i think you're going to be very valuable to our country when you go there. india's a long way from iowa -- [laughter] i went to high school in nebraska, i can remember one cold winter morning working at a grocery store, and i was reading hawaii by james michener and becoming fascinated with the

stories of asia. and he talked about mangos, and i looked over on a shelf in this grocery store, and there was a mango. i'd never seen it before. and i bought it with all my tip money, and i brought it home that night, and be i could not figure out how to peel it. [laughter] but i said someday i'm going to go where they grow these mangos and, of course, a couple years later uncle sam helped me out and sent me to vietnam. but i know what it's like to really become so intensely interested in an area, and you certainly have the background when it comes to south asia and india. and it leads me to a question, something that i've been wondering for some time, and i think from your background maybe you can help me understand it, help us understand it. we consistently speak of india as a democracy in political terms, one would think that's

true. it would certainly seem demonstrably true. we talk consistently about the entrepreneurship that comes out of india, some of the most wealthy entrepreneurs in the world are in india. those who have come to this country from india do extremely well and yet if you look at the world fact book, the per capita income in india's about $800, at least the one that i just looked at, the economist world fact book which is less than $3 a day. what would be your with observations about the nature of this democracy in terms of the obvious, glaring inequality from top to bottom in its society? >> [inaudible]

i think, um, india's democracy is a thriving one with -- right now they are engaged in five states voting with over 200 million, um, residents in one of the states. so that part of the democrat in terms of it forms and its norms is well established. they are voting after a very vigorous debate over policies and particularly in these five states of looking at the economic reforms whether they have answered the question that we would ask here in the united states, are you better off than you were at the last election. they are very, very vigorous in that debate. they are looking at it very seriously. i take a lesson from my time as a teacher of american government and american history of reminding myself that our constitution starts with the words about forming a more perfect union. i think that india is in the process of doing that as well.

it has enormous societal inequalities based on historic caste systems of economic differences, but surely one of the engines that moves a society is a commitment to democracy, a ballot box that allows people to vote for their leaders and to vote for change. but also a rising economy. i contrast my earlier time in india where they were just emerging from a very, very closed economic system, one which required enormous amounts of work to start a business or to close one, for that matter. with the current system, it's not perfect yet. it still takes a long time in india. it's still not a red tape-free society. but all of those things are freeing up india. i think we have seen over the 20 years of economic reforms a tremendous number of people who have been removed from absolute

poverty. they're into the indian middle class now. they are able to afford education for their children. they are dedicated to that as one of the first things that they use their disposable income for. but also a rising consumer network, better housing -- >> so you would say, if i may, because i've got one other question i want to ask you, you would say you are optimistic about the potential for broader sharing of the -- >> i am. i am very optimistic about india. >> wanted also to get your comment on the obvious and growing interrelationship among the united states, asean india in terms of particularly naval activities, but security activities. not only in the indian ocean, but also around into what we call the western pacific, south china sea. we've seen cooperative naval

maneuvers between india and vietnam, for instance. at the same time, we've seen over the past couple of years on many different levels increased chinese naval activity into the indian ocean. what are your, what are your thoughts about this new mix? >> i think india's certainly one of those countries that is a rising power in this part of the world. it has interests that match ours in many ways, particularly in the -- as we've looked at our defense dialogue of looking at maritime security, of looking at the potential for cooperation in humanitarian relief and disaster assistance. and also in many looking at piracy -- in looking at piracy, particularly off the coast of somalia you have cooperating with the international effort there. the dialogue that we have through the defense policy group through asean, through the indian ocean rim conferences with india playing a growing role in that, i think l assist

us -- will assist us in aligning a policy that works internationally to make sure that we can protect those sea lanes, that we will have a peaceful area there. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> ambassador, the ongoing friction between india and pakistan is a strategic concern for the u.s. and for the region. do you believe that there may be a more proactive role for the united states to play which could help ease tensions between the countries? for instance, is sandia national laboratories' cooperative monitoring center, sandia's located in albuquerque, new mexico, has programs to increase trust between countries such as border monitoring. as part of it mission, sandia's cooperative monitoring center assists political and technical

experts from around the world to acquire the technology-based tools they need to implement non-proliferation, arms control and other cooperative security measures. it is a soft power tool that i believe could be utilized in such hot spots. i would note that this is not a new proposal, that a paper released by the cooperative monitoring center in 2001 which was written by retired pakistani major general durani called for a, quote, cooperative border monitoring experiment, end quote. what are your thoughts on these and other proposals to relieve security tensions in the region? >> senator, i firmly believe in encouraging a dialogue and the resolution of problems between india and pakistan. i believe that ideas that are supported by both countries if

general duranny's ideas were to be endorsed through the track ii or track i negotiations that are very active on both levels, that there would be a role for the united states to play. i've had the opportunity to meet many of the people that are engaged in these dialogues, and certainly think that the united states plays a role in encouraging ideas and looking for additional creative solutions but that the primary responsibility rests with the two countries. having worked with so many of their leaders and their diplomats, i'm very confident that they have the ability to do that but certainly don't rule out our ability to assist. >> thank you. during our visit to india, we visited a usaid site in japur. this site truly highlighted the needs of rural and impoverished indians. work being done by usaid including aiding women for

giving prenatal care and child services and training for women to help them interact with other groups to help discuss community needs and solutions. madam ambassador, what are your thoughts on such programs, and how do you think our relations would be impacted if there are substantial cuts to such usaid programs? >> i'm very, very supportive of these efforts. i think particularly supporting women's health has a major impact on the health of their children. i have a particular interest in looking at women's education opportunities, particularly in rural india as in many parts of the developing world. women have not had equal opportunity and access to education. this is an area that, um, as india needs to expand its economy is one that i think is very important. the aid programs that are being

conducted in india are ones that i look forward to visiting and to having a better understanding of. but i think particularly the one you visited is one that would warm my heart. um, i would like to have the opportunity to do that if confirmed. but also to look at the opportunities to do things like the new stoves that are both ecologically and in terms of health a much-improved facility. this is something that secretary clinton has taken a great deal of interest in. in terms of the impact of our aid program, our numbers and the amount of assistance to india has been reduced substantially from what i remember, but i think it is a quality program, and i would like to see it continued so that it can be this incubator for innovation in development technology n development programming that we

can identify things that work in this environment and see how they can be plussed up by the private sector, by the government of india but also exported to other developing countries that may have similar problems. >> ambassador, we went into a village and saw, you mentioned the stoves and secretary clinton's initiative. we went in and saw in a village them cooking on these not a modern version of a stove. it was fueled, i think, by dung. it was very dirty, the smoke was all over the house. i mean, it was a pretty dreadful situation. could you tell us a little bit more about the initiative secretary chinton has on the stoves and how that's -- secretary clinton has on the stoves and how that's progressed? >> i'm going to have to get the details on it, but i know it's one she's committed to, and i've had the similar experience that you have. not only do you deprive the fields from the benefits of having the fertilizer, but you

also spread enormous amounts of smoke that particularly for the lungs and health of children and the women who are doing the cooking is quite dramatic. and the new smokeless stoves both cut down on the amount of energy that is required, but also contribute far, far less to pollutants that damage their health. >> thank you. and if you would supplement the record a little more on that -- >> i will be glad to. >> -- would be great. senator lugar? >> i have no further questions. just simply wish the very best -- >> thank you. >> -- ambassador. look forward to supporting you very strongly. >> thank you very much. >> and, ambassador, let me on behalf of the committee just thank you very much for your testimony today. we're going to keep the record open for questions for the record for 24 hours. we would ask that all members, please, submit any questions

before tomorrow afternoon. also i've been informed by chairman kerry that the committee is working to get ambassador powell's nomination on the agenda for the business meeting to take place on february 14th. and i believe, senator lugar, the ranking member, is also aware of that. yes. >> thank you very much. >> so thank you and being no further questions and no further business, the hearing is adjourned. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> live this morning on c-span2 at 9 a.m. eastern, the house ways and means committee looks into how tax policy effects corporate accounting rules. then at 11 a.m. eastern, the house transportation committee holds a hearing on modernizing air traffic control using gps technology. both hearings live here on c-span2, and online at c-span.org. >> when i first started the book, i also thought this must be an american story. this is about a country that worships the religion of self-reliance and individualism. this is a legacy of thor row and emerson. but it turns out that we're laggards when it comes to living alone, that it's, in fact, much more common in european nation,

especially in scandinavia. and it's even more common in japan. >> in "going solo," eric kleinen berg looks at the growing trend of american adults choosing to live alone and what that means for the country. saturday night at 10 eastern. also this weekend on booktv sunday at 3, the second cousin of former secretary of state condoleezza rice, connie rice, on her work to reduce gang violence in l.a. and starting a dialogue between gang leaders and police. and at 8:15, georgetown university's bonnie morris on her one-woman play and book of the same name, "revenge of the women's studies professor." booktv every weekend on c-span2. >> the league of conservation voters released its yearly national environmental scorecard yesterday. it ranks members of congress based on 11 senate votes and 35 house votes. the report calls in the most anti-environmental session of the u.s. house of representativessing in

history -- representatives in history. this press conference is 15 minutes. >> national environmental group that works to turn environmental priorities into national values. we work closely with our state league partners across the country. today we're releasing our annual congressional scorecard which covers the first session of the 112th congress. we've been releasing this scorecard since we were founded back in 1970, so for more than 40 years we've been releasing scorecards every year. months ago we began to say that this congress, the 112th congress and the house of representatives was the most anti-environmental ever. this scorecard today proves that case. again, without a doubt you look at the votes, this congress, this house is the most anti-environmental ever in history. we're going to spend a little time today with our senior vice president for government affairs walking through the larger narrative, our chief legislative directer will talk about specific votes, and we'll have plenty of time for questions.

thank you all for joining us. if you want more information about the scorecard, go to www.lcv.org. thank you for joining us. >> hi. my name is tier man, and i'm senior vice president for government affairs at the league of conservation voters which works to turn environmental values into national priorities. thank you for joining us today as we release the national environmental scorecard which is available here and on the web at lcv.org. in 2011 the house republican leadership unleashed a truly breath taking and unprecedented assault on the environment and public health. the breadth and depth of which make the current house of representatives the most anti-environmental in our nation's history. the 2011 national environmental scorecard is a sad testament to the radical nature of the house of representatives during the first session of the 112th congress. this scorecard includes so many votes that it literally had to, we had to print the house vote section on two pages spanning,

you know, both sides to have booklet for the first time ever. the 2011 scorecard includes 35 house votes which is far more votes than have been included in any previous scorecard. but to be clear, many others warranted inclusion and would have been included in a more typical year. in fact, all told there were more than 200 votes on the environment and public health this the house in 2011. in many cases only final passage votes were included even though lawmakers voted on countless amendments with enormous environmental implications. in contrast there are just 11 senate votes in the 2011 scorecard. so how did members do? last year 31 senators and 24 representatives earned a perfect score of 100%. on the other extreme, 13 senators and four house members earned an appalling score of zero. this is actually a smaller number than in recent years, so i think it's a pretty clear indication that those members who voted against the environment at literally every

opportunity really worked hard and went out of their way to do so. and the average house score in 2011 was 45% which is lower than the 2010 average score of 57 president. 57%. but i think an even bigger indicator of the huge change in landscape from the 111th to the 112th congress is the dramatic drop in average lifetime scores. more specifically, the average lifetime score of members who were defeated in 2010 was 73% which is pretty impressive as an average. contrast that with the average lifetime score of the members who replaced them in 2011, it's just 15%. so want a difference -- what a difference a year and what a difference a new congress makes, this time clearly in a very bad direction. the average senate score in 2011 was 55% which is higher than the average senate score of 48% in 2010. the good news coming out of 2011 is that while the house voted an

unprecedented number of times against the environment and public health, the obama administration and the u.s. senate stood strong against the vast majority of these attacks. while the senate was able to block many of the most damaging house-passed bills, the obama administration also made clear its strong opposition to the house agenda with numerous statements being clear that catering to polluters is simply not a jobs agenda and then, in fact, the president would have vetoed many of these house bills had they reached his desk. not only did the nation's bedrock environmental protection emerge largely unscathed from 2011, but the obama administration also made major progress through administrative actions to protect public health and the environment. among the highlights, they proposed the next round of fuel efficiency and global warming standards for cars which is critically important for reducing our dependence on oil. they also finalized the cross-state air pollution rule and the mercury and air toxic standards to reduce power plant

pollution, thus, saving lives and protecting the health of millions of americans. they also delayed and subsequently rejected the harmful keystone xl tar sands pipeline which would threaten our waterways and has tripled the global warming pollution of conventional oil. of course, as i mention, they did end up rejecting that in early 2012. yet even as we stand here, our opponents are scheming about ways to roll back critical progress, both the recent progress and environmental protections that have been on the books for more than 40 years. now, looking back on the administrative side, it's clear that, um, everything -- not everything was perfect and, in fact, there were some disappointments including, of course, the decision to delay the much-needed, updated smog standards. but on balance the obama administration accomplished quite a lot for the environment in 2011, and on the whole we were able to stop most of the very worst attacks by the house. as we stand here and as we begin 2012, it could not be clearer that we stand at a crossroads

when it comes to the kind of planet we will leave for our children. lcv is grateful to the obama administration, to our allies in the senate and the house and to millions of people across the country who help to insure that the house leadership did not succeed in gutting our cornerstone environmental protections in 2011. we look forward to continuing to work together in 2012 and beyond to protect the planet for future generations. and now i'd like to turn it over to lcv's legislative director, sarah, who will does the methodology of the scorecard and run through some -- but don't worry, not all -- of the votes included in the scorecard, and then we'd be happy to take questions. >> good morning, everyone. my name is sarah, and as tier man said, i serve as the league of conservation voters' legislative direct or. before providing a bit more detail on the unprecedented number of votes included in this scorecard, i'd first like to review the methodology behind this document. the national environmental

scorecard is based on a scale of 0-100 and is scored on the number of pro-environment vote cast divided by the total number of votes scored. please note that an absence is counted as a negative vote. for over 0 years -- 40 years, the scorecard has been an important source of objective, factual information for the public about the most important environmental legislation considered and the corresponding voting records of all members of congress. the 2011 national environmental scorecard includes 11 votes from the united states senate and an unprecedented 35 votes from the united states house of representatives leaving virtually no area of the environment and public health untouched. as tiernan noted, the 35 house votes are a subset of the unprecedented assault on the environment and public health by the republican leadership of the house of representatives in 2011, the singlemost anti-environmental chamber of congress in our nation's history. in recognition of the constant attacks throughout the year,

votes are ordered chronologically in this scorecard to tell the story of last year's onslaught. the first session of the 112th congress got off to a particularly appalling start with h.r. r. 1, the house continuing spending resolution bill which was much-pass legislation to avoid government shutdown. h.r. 1 included attacks on the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wildlife and wild places americans hold dear as well as drastic funding cuts to critical environmental programs. as if that weren't bad enough, members of congress proceeded to offer a broad array of anti-environmental amendments to h.r. 1 on the house floor. in light of what was at the time the most anti-environmental bill ever, the league of conservation voters took the extraordinary step of releasing a continuing resolution special edition scorecard in february. nine of those 25 votes are included in this final 2011

scorecard. while it wasn't yet clear at the time, the scope of riders included in and voted on in h.r. 1 foreshadowed the house republican leadership's anti-environmental playbook for the remainder of the year. soon after h.r. 1's pass an, house leadership passed legislation repealing the scientific finding by the environmental protection agency that greenhouse gases endanger human health and the environment, permanently blocking the environmental protection agency from reducing harmful carbon pollution under the clean air act and undermining create cat vehicle fuel circuit si standards. the house voted on numerous bills and amendments with major implications for our air, water, land and wildlife. these included bills such as the 2012 house interior and environment appropriations bill which was brought to the house floor with more than three dozen anti-environmental riders, thus replacing h.r. 1 as the single

worst attack on the environment in public health. fortunately, that bill was pulled from consideration and never passed the house. demonstrating complete amnesia about the nation's worst environmental disaster in history, the catastrophic 2010 gulf oil spill disaster, the house passed a trio of bills that would reduce drilling oversight standards and greatly expand offshore drilling. there were target attacks on landmark environmental statutes including the clean water or act which threaten the quality and safety of the water americans use for fishing, swimming and drinking. there were amendments to cut much-needed funding for energy efficiency, climate change adaptation and the environmental protection agency. additionally, the house passed legislation to expedite a decision on the keystone xl tar sands pipeline, a truly dangerous project that would transport the dirtiest oil on the planet right through america's heartland in order to export it. as if house had not yet done enough damage, house majority

leader eric cantor released a legislative agenda for the fall in which he laid out plans to gut ten so-called job-killing regulations, most of which were critically important to protecting public health and the environment. the house proceeded to march through the life-threatening cantor agenda throughout the fall passing no fewer than nine anti-environmental bills between mid september and early december. these included a series of bills to gut the clean air act and to stop the environmental protection agency from taking long overdue steps to reduce and clean up mercury and other toxic air pollution from some of the nation's biggest polluters including power plants, cement plants, industrial boilers and incinerators. now, fortunately, the senate stood in sharp contrast to the house. there are 11 senate votes included in the 2011 national environmental scorecard, and they include strong rebukes to the house votes on key issues such as defending the environmental pr