.. >> so there's a bunch of stuff that needs to get done. unfortunately i think the main vote and correct me if i'm wrong here congressman and the main that was scheduled for today is

whether or not they decide to sue me for doing my job. no, no, no. first of all, here's what i always say. do not boo, vote. [applause] doing does not help. voting helps. [applause] but think about this. they have announced that they are going to sue me for taking executive actions to help peop people. so you know, they are mad because i'm doing my job. and by the way, i told them, i said i'd be happy to do it with you. so they on the reason i'm doing it on my own is because you don't do anything. but if you want, let's work together.

[applause] now i mean everybody recognizes this as a political stunt but it's worse than that because every vote they are taking like that means a vote they are not taking to actually help you. when they have taken 50 votes to repeal the affordable care act, that was time that could have been spent working constructively to help you on some things. [applause] and by the way, you know who is paying for the suits that they are going to file? you. now, now you are paying for it. and it's estimated that by the time the thing was done i would have argued left office. so it's not a productive thing to do.

in responding to that question ed rice on facebook is not a waste of money. the government is working as the framers intended. the battle for power between executive and the legislative has been going on since the country was founded. this is the beauty and genius of the u.s. constitution.

a couple of live events to tell you about tomorrow on our companion network c-span3.

>> in washington on tuesday, the environmental protection agency held the first in a series of public hearings on this proposal to cut carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants. the comment period open to mid-october will include public meetings in atlanta, denver and pittsburgh. this portion of the hearing is a little less than two hours. >> power plants are the largest source of carbon pollution in the united united states coming directly a third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions. the first of the two rules is epa's proposed clean powerplant for existing power plants. this proposal consists of two

main parts, state specific goals to lower carbon pollution from power plants in their states and guidelines to help states develop their plans for meeting those goals. this proposal gives states flexibility in determining how to meet their goals. states will choose what goes into their plans and show how they will achieve the needed protection to meet their goals by the year 2030. the second rule will hear testimony today on is epa's proposed rule to address carbon dioxide emissions are modified in reconstructive power plants. this rule would set emission limits for two groups of power plants, those that make physical or operational changes that increase the plans maximum achievable hourly rate of emissions and those that replace components to such an extent that the new components exceed 50% of the total capitol cost of an entirely new comparable facility. if you would like more details

on either of these proposed rules or fact sheets available near the registration desk that you pass when he came in from the outside. today's hearing is one of four public hearings across the country this week on the two proposed rules. we have had tremendous interest in each of the hearings and i want to thank you for taking time out of your day today to join us and share your comments. we have a lot of people signed up to speak today and they want to hear from all of them. so before we get started i will go through a few housekeeping items and ground rules that will help make today's hearing run smoothly. first, please be sure you have checked in at the registration desk even if you are not planning to speak. and if you have signed up to speak on line or by phone and haven't told us he were here, please step up to the registration desk and let the apa staff know that you have arrived. second if you are a speaker you are given a room letter when you

checked in. either room a or room b. this is room a. if you are looking for room b this would be a good time to switch. >> is right across the hall. here is how today's hearing will work. i will call up the speakers in pairs. when your name is called please come to the table in the front of the room tried here. i will try to accept that i have card to have the time to give heads up on who's on deck coming up shortly so you will be paired to know that you are coming up shortly. when i call you to speak please state your name, any organization you are speak on behalf of on behalf of our partners and spell it for the court reporter. your comment will be transcribed and included in the record of comments on the proposed rule. each speaker will have up to five minutes to give comments. we have a delight to help you know how much time you have less to speak. our ace timekeeper to my right is gabrielle. when the light turns from green

to yellow that means you have one minute left. when it turns red, that's a signal to wrap up your testimony. it will flash red and deep when you have spoken for five minutes and it's time to stop. i would also encourage anybody if they come to the conclusion of their testimony before five minutes that's okay. we did not give any extra credit for talking more and brevity is always appreciated. please feel free to make the points you want but don't feel bad if your light has not turned red get when you have finished. when you are finished speaking please wait at the table and tell the person next to you has completed his or her testimony and we will call up the next fare. we are here today to listen to you and that's the primary foc focus. either joe or gabrielle or i may possibly ask you questions to clarify a comment. if you brought a written copy of your testimony please give that to the staff at the registration

desk before you leave. because of the large number of people who have signed up to speak today and we did have people sign up for all of the available slots, so we expected to be very busy throughout the entire day and to be sure that we are fair to everyone we are going to strictly enforce the five minute limit. the panel is going to be here anyway but we really want to make sure that the people who are waiting to testify have their chance so we appreciate everybody wrapping up at that time limit. if you have additional comments you want to make you can make them in writing. let me assure you epa gives just as much consideration to comments that they received in writing as we do to comments received at public hearings like this one so if you have more that you would like to say please do submit it. there are still plenty of time to get written, 10 after today even though the comment cards are available at the

registration desk. we are taking comments until october 16 of this year. we will put in a written comment submitted today in the official docket for the proposed rule. instructions for submitting written comments are in other ways available at the registration desk. we are scheduled to go until 8:00 p.m. tonight. we will take a lunch and dinner break so everyone can get something to eat and those are scheduled from may until 1:00 and 5:00 to 6:00. in addition we may take an occasional break throughout the day. we will keep you posted as the day goes on. if you have any questions please see the staff registration desk or anybody with one of these handy dandy. expensive nametags that the epa staff are wearing. someone will try to help you. finally this is kind of stating the obvious but i would urge you to be respectful to everyone who speaks today. we have people with the wide variety of use in the audience. we want to hear from everyone.

we asked that people hold applause. do not applaud. that takes time. we ask you to listen quietly. thank you again for taking the time today to share your comments with us on the proposed rules. we are eager to hear from you so let's get started. the first games i have are hal quinn and margie alt. >> i assume that i am first. >> you have a very distinguished honor being first. >> i think the panel and epa for this opportunity. my name is hal quinn. i'm president and chief executive officer of the national mining association. the national mining association

is the national trade association for the domestic mining industry. our members produce coal and uranium two fuels that combined 60% of our current electricity supply and they also produce the metals and minerals essential for every segment of our society as well as the manufacturing machinery equipment and supplies the way our energy producers, energy users and developers of technology and other innovation that keeps our industry productive as well as our nation competitive globally. epa's carbon dioxide mission proposal for existing power plants is policies designed to eliminate low-cost and reliable electricity and replace it with more expensive and less reliable sources. the proposal interview is a stunning attempt to remake an entire electric grid. reducing the nation's electricity supply in raising its cost will impair our recovery as well as their future growth.

those are the predominance source of electricity generation. retail electricity rates are 30 to 50% lower than in regions with lower share of coal generated electricity. eps mesa proposal would displace 27% of low-cost coal generation within the next 10 years. this will result in a loss of at least 200,000 high-wage jobs in the coal supply chain. the fact of the matter is whenever a coalminer loses his or her job at the american loses. they lose energy and economic security or perhaps their own jobs that depend on low-cost reliable electricity. epa's proposals are based on complex web of assumptions many of them implausible about future energy demand dramatic shifts in sources having intermittent sources and reducing energy use. each of these assumptions would epa calls building blocks rest upon a weak foundation. let me just mention a few. increased efficiency of

coal-based power plants. most efficiency gain epa assumes comes from the deployment of recommended operation and maintenance practices. for all practical purposes these practices are routine in taking place to make power plants more economical and therefore more profitable. at the same time at earlier rules epa issued two years ago required extensive retrofit of existing plans that will make them less efficient. the present proposal would force many coal plants to reduce at suboptimal levels which in turn will make them less efficient. building block number to reduce batching from colon natural gas power plants. epa's and natural gas per plants run at 70% capacity. there's no technical or economic evidence that these plants sustained generation at this high level. epa's assumption appears to be based upon plugging into a model assumed carbon price one well above those we see in arbitrating. rather than analysis of the technical capabilities of the plans or gas delivery system.

as epa's knowledges is a 10% gap between the amount of natural gas used to sustain this assumption in the current natural gas line system. building block number three increased deployment benjamin generation sources. the growth of renewable generation is highly dependent on determining financing transmission access and technical challenges posed by integration of intermittent electricity sources such as the grid. we have not seen any indication how epa is taking factors into account. i'm a building block number for energy efficiency. assumption of a 1.5% growth in energy efficiency year-over-year lacks any credible credible basis and harvey. were time potential energy savings declined semantically absent some technological breakthrough. does not identify in a breakthrough that will sustain an annual 1.5% growth in efficiency and of such breakthroughs are not on the present of a race that will not be available for achieving the proposed mission targets. as each building block crumbles and places additional pressure

on epa's planned from implausible to the possible. epa insists it is for running since flexibility to meet targets howard the proposal places them in an energy straitjacket at the outset with each adjustment more painful economically and more risky for system reliability. the real flexibility is the flexibility to maintain a diverse low-cost reliable generation mix for the citizens economic and energy security. the value of generation diversity stability and power supplies and prices as missing in action in this proposal. this past winter provided a clear warning that our power system is close to the edge of breaking. additional power plant where did produce the epa rules pushed over the edge. businesses and families in many parts of the country paid on president prices for electricity and saw their home heating bills like this natural gas prices climbed of competing demand among power plants that present households.

bold ace through plants that present through power plant through. let me through expensive and through next to you through your name through is much good in through rules. through for energy through interest in through said through rice on through to five through businesses and households will pay $35 billion more for natural gas. these are the consequences of poorly designed policies and the reason why epa's assessment of the economic impacts of its rules expires -- inspires little confidence. the agency's recent rules cost less than 5000 megawatts of power capacity to close. as it turns out it will likely be 10 to 12 times more. this is before the current proposal for carbon dioxide. epa's presentations about the proposal has generated many thoughtful questions in our view of view of any definitive answers about how the rule actually works. however there is one inescapable

fact. the cost and risks are real and the benefits are not. epa expects for too much when it asked governors to put their residence security great risk surrender control of their electricity and energy supplies and infrastructure and forfeit their states full potential for economic growth. thank you. >> do you have a copy of her statement? >> i do. >> the next speaker is margie alton on deck are paul c. seau and ann burchard. >> thank you and good morning. glad to be here and appreciate your having this session as well does the sessions around the country paid an executive director of environment america. where federation of 29 state-level at the busy groups with over 1.1 million members and supporters across the country. i am margie a al t. we have been talking to folks

about this issue and doing the research and trying to understand the impacts of climate change on our families and the planet. toward that end have been distributing over 1 million pieces of literature to folks across the country helping to connect the dots between extreme weather and carbon pollution and the rules that epa are putting us why sit here today in strong support of the clean power plant. recently climate changes become personal for me. just a couple of weeks ago i got back from a trip i took to alaska and what seemed to me like a romantic rainstorm dropping down on our cabin turned into a 20 or 30-year flood that hadn't been seen in years past. the lytle creek flooded the ro road. it was impassable because of a mudslide and we ended up having to be evacuated by the national park service which did a great

job by the way, so good work to your colleagues at dli. it's not just denali national park is being flooded. glaciers in glacier bay national park are now 95% in recession. it's not just in the last tear. it's in the lower 48 as well whether it's the wildfires happening right now is they speak in washington and oregon or two years ago on the east coast the impacts of hurricane sandy which also affected me and my family -- family. the boardwalk we used to go to devastated by the hurricane has since been rebuilt. my brother who still lives a few miles away has just finished redoing his house from the distraction of the storm and just buying their second car also ruined in hurricane sandy. so from my perspective than that of our members global warming is no longer a problem of the

distant future or people far away. it's here, it's now, it's happening to me and is happening to all americans. the headlines every day were mine does that we need to do something and do it now, thus i am so pressured about the work that epa is doing to cap carbon pollution on power plants. it's no secret that power plants are the single source of global warming pollution responsible for more than 40% of the nation's production of carbon pollution. our research shows that dirtiest 50 plants in the country actually a met were carbon than all but six countries in the world. states around the country are already moving to take action to clean up or shade -- we were excited to implement california's global warming solutions act which is projected to save 780 lives by 2020 and since the regional greenhouse gas initiative went into effect

global warming pollution for power plants on the east coast has fallen by 30% and tighter limits have us on track to cut carbon pollution even further in the region. at the same time the program has added $2 billion to the regional economy and locked in more than $1 billion in savings on energy bills for east coast consumers. ..

meeting the president's commitment of 17 percent reduction by 2020. the good news is we are on track and can make a difference. we have made a difference. i hope we will continue to make a difference through their claim power plant. we have a lot of work yet to do but have seen the vision and from the states and obama administration combined with strong public support and believe we will get there. thank you so much. >> thank you very much. our next panelist. and. >> it is a bit of a challenge for you guys.

if you can pull it a little closer to yourselves. >> good morning. i am the president of the industrial energy consumers of america. more than 1 million employees. the company's i represent our energy intensive. they compete with companies around a world. -for gas and electricity. for these companies relatively small increases in the cost of energy can have relatively significant impacts on their competitiveness, their ability to create jobs and exports. consumes over 81 percent of the energy.

examples include chemicals, plastics, nitrogen, fertilizer, aluminum, glass products, paper, processing and cement. the raw materials necessary to produce everything in the u.s. that all consumers use in daily life. our company's support responsible cost effective action to address climate change. in fact, the industrial sector is the only sector for the entire u.s. economy is emissions are less than they were in 1973. however, unilateral climate action by the u.s. that results in increased energy costs can disadvantage our manufacturers, damage competitiveness and result in job losses. the u.s. cannot go alone and expect that actions will have meaningful client impact in the world economy and is using more coal and fossil fuels every day. for example, the epa says that

the proposed rule would reduce 730 million metric tons of carbon by 2030. china increase its emissions nearly that amount in one year from 2010-2011. chinese co2 emission rose by 705 million tons. we are competing with those chinese companies. the key messages that we want to deliver is that we are very worried that the world with substantially increased its edges of the natural gas costs and increase reliability problems put in the manufacturing sector at risk, good paying jobs with relatively small global climate impact. it cover off substantially reducing the use of coal-fired generation. coal-fired generation is low cost and reliable. importantly cold competes with natural gas and helps keep electricity costs low.

increasing dependency and natural gas. natural gas is delivered in real time, not stockpile by coal. in the winter of 2014 demonstrated our overreliance on natural gas generation led to reliability issues on gas transportation and electricity deliverability and the spiking prices for both natural gas and electricity. there would also increase reliance on renewable energy, renewable energy can be very expensive and is also unreliable our manufacturing facilities run 24 hours a day seven days a week. reliability is credible. get reliability would lead to electricity could tenements. these curtailments can cost small manufacturers tens of thousands of dollars a day and large manufacturing companies sense of billions of dollars a

day. this is special troublesome during peak demand. electrical outages can damage if not destroy the equipment that we use to manufacture and the product itself. most importantly, reliability is an important safety issue for all employees. importantly, all regulatory and energy costs of this will be passed on bus, the consumer. we are the ones that are going to pay for this. of great concern is that the greenhouse gas rule is only one of several recent laws that impose costs. and these costs are additive and increasing our efficiency prices. according to the epa the greenhouse gas role will increase industrial electricity prices of over 2 billion each year. when added to the a eo 2014 yet

to see forecast for industrial prices prices will rise 154 percent by 2030. this means that from 2013-203817 your time from, we can expect an average increase in electricity prices of over 9 percent per year. that is in contrast to the last 13 years are really saw prices increase almost 3%. natural-gas estimate is that prices will increase up to 12%. when added to the forecast the price of natural gas is forecast to rise 164% to between 30, significant, very significant. as electricity and natural gas prices rise manufacturers lose their ability to compete and will be forced to move offshore. ladies and gentlemen, that is what happened from 2000-2008

because of higher natural gas prices. we shot down over 40,000 manufacturing facilities to loss 3 million manufacturing jobs. when this happens both good paying jobs and the greenhouse gas emissions move offshore. this is referred to as carbon. because of higher energy costs accomplishing nothing environmentally and damaging the domestic economy and employment. for this reason energy intensive industries at minimum would be covered allowances and border adjustments to prevent green has gas leakage. we urge the epa technologies realities just as the waxman markey bill did, just as the etf does in the state of california. it is for this reason we request that the epa perform makeover leakage analysis to assess the carmen impact on our industry.

in the current leakage cost could be subtracted from the epa benefit calculations. because the proposal will regulate screen as gas emissions future regulations of greenhouse gases for the manufacturing sector. the rules president would require greenhouse gas production of of what we could reduce through manufacturing technology, equipment, and practices and be required to accept responsibility to achieve higher greenhouse gas reductions by reducing emissions outside north penciling. our customers are all over the world and not just in the u.s. deregulation imposes costs that aren't. >> our next speaker --

>> good morning. >> rev. coss. >> good morning. my name is in bridge chart. i am sierra club member and a concerned citizen. i think you for the attendees to speak in favor of a clean power plants and car rental. my city has been around for over 300 years. but like most coastal cities it is in danger from rising sea levels to the climate changed. just yesterday, july 28 -- okay. is it my voice?

shall i continue? just yesterday, july 28 note posted on its website, the technical report entitled sea level rise and nuisance frequency around the united states. by the way, this is wedding often results in flooded basements car road closures and compromise infrastructure. they're in the report at the top of the less was an annapolis, md. with an increase in flight of 925% from 2007-2013 the number of flood days was 39. that is approximately one out of nine days. in d.c. the number increased.

3703%. coastal flood warning is becoming a to frequent part of our forecast will we no longer any storms. this is becoming an everyday occurrence. by spending millions of dollars we can attempt to protect our most valuable real estate your engineering. water will seek its level many farmers, farms, towns, and our beloved sure of the chesapeake bay would be under water. the cost of sea level rise mitigation and the value of losses and ended up pretty should be considered when calculating the cost benefit ratio of curbing are carbon emissions. you is going to pay for the

forms lost to my house is now under water? i am grateful that they're taking action to reduce carbon up to the clean power plant. >> thank you very much. >> good morning. >> good morning in thank you for the opportunity to share.

because i am up faster, some might assume that i have nothing to add to the conversation about climate change in environmental justice. however, i have made a point it stressed mike connor is my belief that people of faith have a moral obligation to be good stewards of the earth, care for the environment and protect future generations by addressing the effects of climate change and car of pollution. the issue of environmental justice is particularly important because it is predominantly african-american be read the faq the people of color in low-income communities suffer disproportionately from and are managed and at half hat as a doom matted -- of

oppenheimer said the sources of carbon pollution threat in the health of citizens all across the country. this is not ahead of a problem out there for another generation if x is ready year. power plants and other major industrial facilities in the area emitted more than 450,000 metric tons of carbon pollution in 2011. it is equal to a unit pollution of more than 95,000 cars. there are members of my congregation who suffer from environmentally induced illnesses. they are elderly parishioners burdened by declining health

battling chronic illnesses such as lung disease, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure which are only made worse by carbon pollution and climate change. there are widows and widowers who have lost loved ones due to industrially produced respiratory diseases. sadly many of these are young people, children is quality of life has been diminished we're given a clear mandate to care for widows, orphans, the elderly and those in distressed. jesus but his followers to give attention to the needs of the port, a specially chosen. the abuses of former generations so that people but especially

our children can live and grow in a cleaner, safer, and healthier world than the one we are on track. we need a clean power plant. it is sensible federal environmental policy that provides states the flexibility they need to develop a customized plan that will keep our energy affordable and reliable while ensuring our children and clean air to brief. thank you. >> campaign director with environment virginia. i am here speaking on behalf of myself and the 25,000 members and supporters across the commonwealth that we represent.

the consequences are clear and present the impeccably are already from more extreme and severe storms, agricultural troubles to rising seas and storm surges that put our coastal communities are at risk that is something that city and regional planners in the area, the u.s. military and local residents can tell you. increased temperatures mean more unhealthy air base, as my tax. as a resident of an area that has been named as the capital of the country, that is important to me. scientists are clear that unless

we act now to reduce the pollution that is fueling global warming most importantly carmen back side things will only get worse for our children and you will be able to turn back. we support their claim power plant. we believe it is an important step and support the finalization of the strongest possible plant to cut carbon pollution. power plants are the largest single source of u.s. car pollution. while we must move quickly to limit carbon from all sectors and forces, power plants are our best opportunity in the near term to make dramatic reductions in carbon. virginia's power plants contribute to a 34 percent of our state carbon pollution. this would clean up 31%. environment virginia applauds the epa for responding the urgent needs to protect public health and our children's future

raining in pollution. limiting carbon pollution today and over 60 local and state elected officials, over 100 small-business owners have also endorsed the president's climate action plan and the epa proposal public opinion shows a majority support the epa taking action on climate and to limit carbon pollution from power plants. the people are behind you. given the scope of the problem and the urgent need to act we can do even better by harnessing the power of clean energy. virginia and the utilities up bring in our state are far behind our neighboring states.

335 megawatts of solar power. fifteen to 18 megawatts installed by homeowners and others. but we have huge potential to meet and exceed the goals laid out for virginia in the power plant through energy efficiency in the department of clean energy resources. >> fully developed you could power over 700,000 just from the wind blowing. eventually all of our entity's come from making our home so efficient that we have more

energy produced. it's a future that the clean power plant helps us. bernanke very much for allowing a sick today. >> think c-span.org testimony. and the speakers are congresswoman capital us. >> give morning. thank you. >> i represent the state of west virginia. thank you for having me here today. i appreciate your gift of art work. ameritech express my strong

opposition to the proposed green house castro. with this unprecedented ruled the epa has gone far beyond requiring existing coal plants operate as efficiently as possible. instead the framework for this role is built around a shift in the country away from coal. the federal government has no business picking winners and losers, but that is exactly what the cpr will does. i would like to share what your role would do in my state. the epa has held 11 public listening sessions on this rule. but not one has been in the ten states that most heavily reliant on coal for electrical generation. if you come to west virginia you would have heard from coal mining companies and coal miners like roger ward casone testified before the house energy and commerce committee the policies are condemning our families to

the lives of poverty and despair if he heard from people who don't work in the mine but directly rely on the industry and electricity you might have heard from kristin marshall quality machine to the fabrication and machine manufacturer in bridgeport, west virginia. his business used to do a lot of work. he might have heard from businesses, both companies deploy hundreds of west virginia workers in an energy intensive manufacturing scenario. but by not coming to west virginia to kentucky to the coproducing and coal consuming states to send a message said that part of the country and our views and experiences just don't matter. to have a veteran government refused to even listen to those segments of american people is frustrating and demoralizing. the state of west virginia has already lost 5,000 coal mining

jobs. many more jobs are at risk because of the agency in the regulatory efforts that are going far beyond what congress intended. in 95 percent of its electricity is generated by coal, and we will be one of the biggest losers under this proposal. a recent report from the institute of energy research done the electricity prices could increase by more than 50% by 2020 this will cause even more capacity to be taken offline which will increase costs for consumers. we saw this with the european union's current regulations which increased residential electricity prices by 55 percent between 2005 and 2013. the proposed rule would be bad for the american economy and catastrophic for working families was virginia. u.s. households pay half as much for electricity in the european union and a third as much of those in germany.

because of the energy intensive nature of manufacturing will cost american jobs -- low-cost american energy help keeps jobs in the u.s. coal miners, power plant workers are not the only ones who lose under this proposal. forfeiting our energy advantage will send more american manufacturing jobs overseas. as our governor has said, not one single coal plant in less rigid in these the average standard of the 1620 pounds of carbon dioxide per racal one-hour. i recognize that that just means that not every coal plant would close, but it would definitely mean the closure of a number of coal units. our economy benefits from a diverse energy makes and all of the above energy strategy. stiring january -- in january

february of this year 92 percent of the increased demand for energy nationally was met by cold. american electric power which operates in west virginia and across the midwest was operating in 89 percent of the coal capacity. next year will be shut down due to the epa regulations. in the house of representatives i worked tirelessly to drive up the people of west virginia and the epa in this administration understand what these regulations do to our state. continue to invite the epa to come to west virginia and hero of the issues. bipartisan resolution calling to the epa to all sessions and the color line state to tell you the consequences of this agency's decision on the people a represent. the rule threatens was virginia's economic survival i promise you that my state and its people.

thank you for having me. >> we do have the session. >> good morning. executive director the national association of clean air agency's under the 16 local air pollution-control agencies across the country member agencies with the altar of responsibilities to a draft, signed, and submit the state plans under epa clean power plant proposed rules. i am pleased to have the opportunity to testify this morning and to provide initial reactions and does not reflect

the views that began its efforts to develop their will and conduct its own early average. in response our association developed a set of section 111 the principles and some better than to the agency. the recognize the extensive levels of the epa staff effort that went into developing the proposed clean powerplant. the proposal does not offer everything for everyone. much of what the recommended. i l.a. features that are consistent with the principles. in terms of process that deserve

credit for its outreach effort which was truly unprecedented in duration and scope. the agency sought input from many groups especially state and local air pollution control agencies. it was inclusive of key interest and expertise. a utility commissioners and those conversations remain on going. the only engaged in discussion but listened carefully to what was said. in our principles they asked for limits the reflect circumstances , difference to circumstances. the epa proposal includes state specific goals based on state and regional factors. we asked for flexibility. that will address is flexibility in several wayis flexibility in several ways and incorporates building blocks for setting the best systems of production include renewable energy,

compliance flexibility beyond a core building blocks in credits strategies and the proposal dictates latitude to their overall compliance strategist. we ask for more time for states to develop plans and for effective sources to meet their obligations. the proposal offers a 1-year extension for all states and an additional year for states to develop a multi said approach. of the two plants haven't ticket to comply the proposed rule reflects many of the issues highlighted almost one year before the proposal was released. undoubtedly the same state and local dialogues that inform epa clean power plant proposal must also inform its final. the members are still considering the proposed numerous and complex benefits

but much of their analysis so far as focused on the calculation of individual staples. some states have expressed concerns that do to the stringency of the proposed target the complaints flexibility is significantly limited. further, we appreciate the extra time there providing to develop state plans we're hearing from some states that they may still need additional time given the state's legislature schedules and will making temperance. finally many states are concerned the proposal does not adequately reward states that took early action we strongly encourage each of these issues in the final rule. the significant resources and at state and local agencies will need to make a clean power plant's success must be addressed.

the planning and analysis needed to be epa's targets are substantial and require additional support. the president recognize the challenge and has proposed fiscal 2015 budget when he asked for a nearly $20 million increase to support section 111d development. we reiterate our strong support for the additional funding and caution against funding of state and local areas. further, we urge epa to build on the strong foundation of proposal the what. the proposed rule. once again, thank you for the opportunity to testify. >> thank you for your testimony.

>> good morning. my name is brad polymer. senior vice president for government relations at peabody energy. using coal for electricity enables more people to live longer and live better commanded drive smallest u.s. electricity costs for any major fuel. peabody profoundly disagrees with epa's approach on carbon under the clean air act. we are opposed to this proposal that will punish electors the consumers have no material benefit and is indeed outside the bounds of the law. this proposal --

>> just get up closer. >> i'm sorry. profound disagreement with the approach of carmen under the clean air act. at the post to this proposal as a pause as electricity consumers, has no material benefit and is outside the bounds of the clean air act itself the. this proposal must be withdrawn. clean affordable energy is essential at a time when a record 115 million americans qualify for energy assistance and 48 million americans live in poverty. last week the "washington post" put a face on this very real daily struggle. brought to let the story of a single mother of five children pueblo, colorado struggling to pay their power bills. because otherwise there is no

money. when there is no money you can't cetus' patents no matter how deep she rations she cannot get ahead of rising cost. a major cause of the increase in actors the cost is attributable to the shutdown of "plants and an aggressive transition to renewals her story is commonplace in california, a state that the epa law. excessive by any energy inequality and is widespread away from the coast in this terribly business. the efficiency in california which is lauded by many as been achieved by the man's destruction with large manufacturing fleeing the state. california prices are 40% higher than the u.s. averaged an 700,000 manufacturing jobs a been lost since 2000. if california is the future, it

does not work. the epa proposal is symbolic only and would have no significant benefit of the planetary. an entire shut down of america is gulfweed which is now being proposed would result in one 20th of 1 degree of temperature change. widespread opposition to the proposal is evident and nationwide as we can see by action in the house of representatives, the people's house demand in the u.s. at and state legislative action. in mid july the house appropriations committee passed a spending bill prohibiting etf from using funds. in march the house passed without congressional approval. forty-one republican senators have asked the epa to withdraw rule in his seven democratic senators have written the president of planning. over 20 states pass legislation or resolutions stating

greenhouse gas emissions can only be regulated, plant by plant basis inside the fence to bunt of the system once they approached. activating when the partnership. more and more nations are pushing back against broad policy -- brought carbon policy. the australian prime minister called it a useless and destructive tax was damaged jobs to our family cost of living and did not actually help the environment. of course that has been repealed

japan stepped up support for coal fueled power plants domestically and overseas once these realities are understood by the american people, and there will be coming epa actions will be rejected as policies and prescription is the data first a human to malcolm and welfare. the exact opposite of the epa mandate under the clean air act. thank you. >> representing more than 15,000 members who lived in the commonwealth. apologize from our point of view the epa clean power plant proposal is the most important action the u.s. has ever taken

to address global warming. it has changed the conversation in virginia. here business as usual was always meant keeping energy. that won't fly anymore. the new reference point is carmen. we can beat the carbon budget you oppose a more with offshore wind mandates and energy efficiency and really have the potential to go way beyond. i oprah well because the baked in effects of global warming are already serious and would need to do everything we can. as the recent risky business report warns extreme heat is going data serious effect on our economy and our lives. like the rest of the family's virginia as hot and humid summers and make outdoor activity difficult. when you add to that an average temperature increase to a few degrees to the global warming we will have long stretches of time

injured, july, august commence september or people cannot be up to was the battle of the day. not as it is too unpleasant but as in it is life threatening to work outside. the lucky ones of those with air-conditioned homes. even they will find is a track. but there are a lot of people who have to be outside. farmworkers, road crews, construction workers, delivers, landscape workers, rivers, sanitation workers. he is virginians to each of us are critical to. for these people today's business as usual keep our is a threat to their livelihoods, health, and conceivably their lives. if the future of the south east

is an inevitable without air-conditioning what happens when the air-conditioning goes out. potential health crisis for the elderly and poor. people are going good guy. bridget policymakers and local officials have to begin to prepare for these big tennant x. there has been a lot of foot dragging and a lot of just plain hoping that it won't happen. but this is our future, and this is where we have to plan for. the good news is we can still limit the extent of the crisis, and a clean power plant is a good place to start.

>> good morning. >> good morning. covers a moment when the sanchez . the importance of the epa clean power plant. and here to lend a voice to minority communities across our country whose health and lively and are affected by poor in normal conditions. as a lawmaker and environmentalist and most importantly as a mother and head the kid on behalf of the full implementation of the component plan. i understand the urgency associated with combat in with pollution data contributed to close unchanged and posing serious health risks to our general population. as a representative of the district of a large latino and asian american population my constituents stand to lose the

most of the ferris to implement the plan covered reduction guidelines. 31 percent of latinos live within 30 miles an apartment. equally alarming is the fact that the team as our war under 65 percent more likely to live in counties with unhealthy levels a particular matter pollution. the consequences of these and caramel conditions are evident in the high rates of asthma. today over three and a half million latinos suffer from asthma including one in ten children. as a mother these numbers are unacceptable and underscore the need for common sense plant to reduce carbon pollution, especially from high producing sources such as power plants. in the united states today power plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions and produce one-third of all domestic greenhouse emissions. despite the staggering statistics, and pollution from power plants is currently not

regulated. regulating carbon out but would help reduce pollutants that contribute to the smut and smog that make people sick. and we took every can no longer afford to wait to act. i want a safe and secure future for my son and the constituents are represent amelya as appearance across the country would agree. as government officials we're tasked with about the well-being of our citizens demand and know we can do more to help address the health risk associated. a clean power plant is a serious step to protecting americans. ixtle allies the changes that must be made in order to limit the health and economic costs associated with. if implemented and would help cut pollution by 30 percent resulting in $55 billion in

health and, benefit. there are costs associated with doing nothing. i know that this change is possible because my home state of california has already implemented many of the guidelines proposed severe. california has the fourth lowest carbon emissions in the nation, and our electric bills are 25 percent below average. let me repeat that. california's electric bills are 25 percent below average. the benefits are significant, but the cost of not acting are much greater. on behalf of our country and my constituents and the 28 million hispanics living in areas without the levels i urge you to fully implement the clean powerplant. i think you for allowing me to testify today. >> thank you very much.

>> good morning. it is wonderful to be with all of you. it is an honor to be sitting here it is our to be in the same room as ceo the national wildlife federation is here today because of our heritage combine communities being affected right now for lot five because they can't speak for themselves what they're seeing on the ground and they will tell you the things the changing. from wild fires in the west, floods in the midwest to my extreme storms along the eastern seaboard, the evidence of climate impact is all around us

and occurring right now the stories of destroyed habitat and communities from a stream storms in particular are becoming all too familiar. our lives are struggling. food sources run scarce or halls are overrun. to many species are at risk of extinction. seeing a record drop in the population due to an exploding tick population. startling. migrating through the state of delaware, experiencing rapid loss of habitat due to coastal erosion. in the breeding grounds of our nation's most treasured or fall i'm trying a we are not merely losing our heritage. insufficient action threatens our multibillion-dollar outdoor recreation and tourism the company. sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts.

the national wildlife federation is working diligently to help make wildlife habitat and local communities more resilient, instils a suede to rapidly curb industrial pollution to avoid climate impact for many species will not be able to adapt. how big our communities. for these reasons we are here today to applaud the long overdue steps of reining in carbon pollution. our state affiliates across the cut share lining up in hearings across the country right now to talk about their diligent work on these issues and support their effort. the proposed standard as a strong start. a uniquely american solution that establishes clear, common set standards and provide states with the flexibility and tools

to achieve these standards building effectively upon work occurring across the nation allow for regional cooperation which time and time again as proof of the best way to address pollution challenges and is clear that the epa listens closely to stakeholders. we are grateful for the opportunities. and we do believe that the clean power plant should increase department of energy efficiency measures and clean energy measures. this can be done with far ranging benefits to wildlife. this will will also help reduce pollution from other pollutants that have made fish dangerous to eat because of mercury and lead to the smart index being to one of the. these benefits are real and extremely important to our environment. in delaware and the privilege of

playing in a leading role to create a regional proper reducing carbon emissions. this initiative underscores the potential for forward thinking and vicious emission reduction programs to achieve meaningful results of reducing cost. illustrating it is possible for states to coordinate regionally to reduce pollution in order to reduce energy bills cannot deliver billions in economic savings and reducing emissions by more than 40%. it demonstrates -- this is not theory. this is actual tangible proof on the ground. it ..

could be strengthened and they should strive to replicate the person successes of many of the aggressive programs and policies in place. secondly epa should dress they were noble growth assumptions accurate way reflect the potential. as technology and deployment prices continued to plummet many states have already or will soon meet the level of regeneration epa assumed that they want to be met in 2020. these should reflect this. technologies like solar and offshore wind despite their particular potential to help reduce costs stabilize prices and add additional job creation in resources.

greater reductions and reduce overall bills. the claim powerplant represents progress not only for america let members but they millions of nature lovers and birders across the country and future generations who will enjoy america's natural treasures including my 2-year-old daughter. on behalf of on behalf of our 4 million members and supporters including the 80,000 members of the national wildlife federation have submitted comments to epa on this rule we applaud you for taking this important step and we look forward to working with all of you to the new standards and protect the wildlife across this nation. thank you very much. >> thank you both very much. the next speakers are dana and george murray. and on deck behind them are hannah white guard if i'm pronouncing it right and just. jeff.

>> good morning. trying to keep us on time so i won't delay. thank you for this opportunity to comment this morning. my name is lena moffatt and i matter for federal policy break the national wildlife federation. i will try not to repeat too much about my boss said. the national wildlife federation is the country's oldest and -- committed to safeguarding our wild outdoor heritage for future generations. nws has organizations announced every state across the country committed to protecting wildlife in the ecosystems they depend on. to that end their affiliate organizations are present at all for claim powerplant hearings happening across the country and are committed to seeing this rule over the finish line. this includes our affiliates in places like nebraska texas arkansas virginia north carolina maine montana and more. they have seen the devastating impacts of climate change on wildlife that they love and understand we must take action

today to avoid increasing extinction of species we care about. our members and affiliate partners also understand the claim powerplant presents an unparalleled opportunity to chile foster the local renewable solutions to climate change their country as been waiting for for for too long. but including renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in the best system of emissions reductions your agency is potentially an -- open floodgates of american ingenuity to tackle climate change head-on. to invest in our communities to grow the manufacturing base for these industries and reinvigorate american leadership in the clean energy economy tomorrow. we are here today to demonstrate our support and to ask you to lean into this challenge. the standard release on june 2 is a strong start but it can and should be used longer given the magnitude of the problem we face in the solutions we know already exists. i would like to share a few key technical recommendations and we will expand upon it in our

comments. overall the standard can and should be stronger. analysis has indicated reductions on the order of 35 to 40% below 2005 levels by 2020 can be achieved at reasonable cost. secondly your agency has rightly recognized energy efficiency is most cost-effective and efficient way to reduce our emissions quickly. many state programs have successfully demonstrated the potential for efficiency to quickly and affordably reduce emissions however cost-effective energy efficiency can be achieved even more quickly than assumed in setting the state standards. third, wildlife renewable energy has been growing at an astonishing rate. in 2012 wind and solar power for two of the fastest-growing electric generation in the past. when capacity increased by 20% and cumulative photo book to lake capacity grew more than 83% from the previous year.

the agency rightly included these resources in setting the state standards for the availability and quantity of energy opportunities to sample you believe is too low. by setting assumptions about renewable energy potential to blow the standard currently rates achievable reductions on the table. fourth, we believe epa should analyze resource availability and cost in the state and regional basis rather than limiting assessment of potential development to current renewable portfolio standards and states and regions and remove artificial growth constraints on renewable energy. we hope you'll consider the full potential of the wide variety of renewable resources including offshore wind power and distributed solar-powered or not included in the state standards. in establishing each states target your agency must account for planned anticipated fossil fuel plant retirements in the current rate of change coal from lower emitting resources like natural gas. epa must ensure state targets drive emissions reductions that weren't going to occur anyway.

finally epa must also address the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas particularly given the role of natural gas as a compliance option. nwa is working with affiliates across the country in many states like pennsylvania and colorado to encourage epa to move forward with parallels separate regulations in concert with the claim powerplant to ensure unchecked methane pollution does not about the climate benefits of the switch to natural gas. again we look forward to working with you to strengthen finalize and implement this important standard and personally i want to say thank you for taking this opportunity. young people get this issue. we are here and we have your back and they're looking forward to finishing the standard with you. >> thank you. >> good morning. appreciate the opportunity to come and speak all the way from new hampshire. the abolition mounted club's mission is to protect and promote the protection and enjoyment and understanding of the mountains forests and waters and trails of the appalachian

region. we have more than 100,000 members and supporters who are suicide in the northeast and atlantic. as an outdoor constituency we are concerned about the current impacts of increasing threats of climate change. our members value consistent snow in winter for snowshoeing cross-country skiing is to the many small and big businesses that rely on winter recreation. we are concerned about the threats to health the air and the degradation of air quality in a warmer world an increasing number of severe storms that would wreak havoc on our landscape and infrastructure and require significant trail maintenance for safe and enjoyable hiking. we have evidence of change happening today just outside my office. i brought a few graphics. this shows the time trend of total snowfall from new hampshire over time since the 30s. 67 inches less snowfall in total

on average. we are seeing snow leaving 15 days earlier on average. we are seeing temperature trends similar to what is seen across the region of the globe and we are also seeing that increase issue move through time at the rate of change. it is happening now. we strongly support the epa's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the clean air act and believe that it is appropriate and essential to regulate these air pollutants for existing power plants under section 111d of the act. we are encouraged by the overall mission reductions epa has proposed a 30% by 2030 from power plants which would be a significant step towards achieving ultimate national target of 80% by 2050. the clean air act requires the act requires that the systems of emission reductions is established in setting up the 111d standards. we believe epa has provided an

effective achievable and proven best system approach that considers costs and environment so targets. epa is also purply called for states to submit enforceable state implementation plans that will ensure state emission reduction targets are met. many northeast states have found success in reducing carbon emissions with original greenhouse gas initiative and applaud this type of program as an option. the recently strengthened rggi program has logged significant reductions in greenhouse gas solutions from the power sector. their minor adjustments that should be made with the rggi program to ensure the epa targets are met and we will detail those in written comments in the future. but it is a proven and proven success and we look forward to encouraging other states to join the rggi program to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and not to meet epa requirements. we believe the focus on energy efficiency and conservation should be the priority of any plan to reduce climate change.

we need to not only burn less fossil fuels would maintain a balanced approach to energy development that includes lamb protection in pristina natural places that are set aside for public use. to achieve this balance we need to reduce the overall demand for energy. i did want to highlight some initial concerns with the proposed rule targets and assumptions around energy efficiency. epa should they see each state's efficiency targets on the policies adopted in each state. epa should not use formulas for state targets that assume less generation and energy efficiency savings and 2030 than the state has achieved today. further we believe epa should encourage a faster rate of energy efficiency and renewable energy expansion within states and review the assumptions about the cost, compliance cost of energy efficiency in the context of rate base and mass-based

options. energy efficiency investments have been proven to be highly effective in lowering costs of compliance within the rggi program and must be a core component in our transition to cleaner energy economy. thank you for this opportunity to comment. amc looks forward to submitting substantive written comments for the public comment. matt closes in october. >> thank you both very much. the next speakers are hannah y. gard and jeff benson and after them are governor markel and greg dodson. i would reiterate something i said earlier. those who may not have been here we are taking written comments until october 16 and we encourage people to elaborate on an oral statement or submit a written statement. every written statement gets carefully read. hannah.

>> thank you and please excuse if we take a couple of snapshots. my name is hannah and i live in charlotte ville virginia. today i'm representing appalachian voices original environment of nonprofit with partner groups around the southeast to lend voices to this critical conversation. appalachian voices and organization dedicated to speaking out for the mountain region and those most impacted by extreme cold mining method supplies the action and carbon that has been so overdue. having grown up in richmond in the shadow of a power station and seeing my younger sister suffer from asthma along with her partner groups there are programs to grow local energy efficiency on a clean energy economy throughout the southeast. regional supporters energy and her noble energy along with public health and environment so that the kids are watching closely to see how epa guidelines influence the energy mix and in the meantime we have seen his support from our region

for the country's nearly 600 coal-fired power plants. folks across the political spectrum have now been making the connection between global warming and energy choices and the specimen it comes to sea level rising in eastern virginia which is dear to my heart. the impacts of our global warming planet have been outlined and will add we hear from home gardeners and large-scale growers alike that the seasons have changed and continue to shift and from folks who like the outdoors the ticks have been increasing really badly. i was also struck by the point made about outdoor tourism and recreation. to wrap up we will benefit from the opportunities that this rule signals in the way it will it bans carbon free energy. i will point out a recent study from researchers at carnegie melon -- carnegie mellon -- not because they were placed the

most electricity generated by coal plants. according to kyle seiler evans to directly poe a wind turbine displaces twice as much carbon dioxide as the same turbine and property. while many states lack of policies to promote clean energy development diminishing colon desmond is a clear trend. in july the world bank announced it will and financing of coal plants in circumstances where there are no feasible alternatives and goldman sachs issued a paved paper entitled -- so we have seen the signs and as flexible as the draft proposal is it is our hope that will translate into a final rule that drives reductions in a region that consumes so much power. our region has seen cold jobs declined and there's a real promising potentials to diversify into a number of new diversities through initiatives

like promise zones. we know that mr.'s mission and a commitment to justice in our region and a half of our supporters for appalachia who are awaiting a strong version of the rule thank you for your leadership and responsible approach to getting our nation back on track to climate stability. thank you. >> thank you very much. just one second. i'm going to exercise the chair prerogative and rearrange the next panel ever so slightly. senator merkley is hearing he needs to leave shortly so after this panel the next panel will be governor markel and senator berkley. rick dobson i ask your indulgence. >> thank you for this opportunity to speak. i will try not to repeat anything my boss said. my name is jeff fong and i was born and raised in virginia and i'm a rising sophomore at duke university. my comments today mark the approaching end of my summer

internship with appalachian voices and environment of nonprofit leading a concerted effort to protect the land water and air of the appalachian region. it's fitting that i will and my internship or a begin with comments on the historic progress. epa's clean powerplant. the summer has culminated a whirlwind pace leading to familiar lessons and foreign concepts. i'm here today to represent the most important lesson of all. there is strength in numbers and strength in diversity diversity. in future weeks of petitioning public events we have collected over 1220 individual comic cards in support of the clean power plant. stretching across all of virginia and beyond these individuals realize the opportunity to build their own states economy due to the commonsense approach of the administration's plan. small business owners the economic backbone of many communities have responded to cutting carbon pollution. recent polling from american

sustainable business council indicates a small majority of business owners support government regulations to cutting pollution from power plants. fundamentally they realize what an entity threatens our safety health and environment they must act. as we move forward we are problem a titanium laminate. we are asking ourselves the tough questions and considering the leeward site of the environment so agenda. will all of our efforts be worth it and i certainly think so-and-so did 1002 and 20 individual's and 51 small business owners i present to you today. the proposal gives us flexibility but we are advocating for a cleaner future and to move forward with energy efficiency and renewables that will hopefully become more cost-effective than they are. if implemented poorly much of our work will be for not. with these thoughts in mind we are prepared to keep fighting an important date u.k. to continue

the dash and closing my internship must like the epa clean power plant hispanic, marge november on to success while creating a unique space to think critically of the challenges to come. in the subsequent years examining and learn to benefit future generations than ourselves. thank you. >> thank you both very much. the next panel is governor markel and i think this is supposed to say senator markey. senator markey, right? cemetery you are welcome to -- is there a senator merkley? is that correct? i'm sorry. i wondered if it was a misprint. senator merkley you are next. senator markey you'll be next recognizing my home state.

senator good to see you. governor. >> thank you very much. thank you for the opportunity to testify and importance of the clean power plant in particular you want to thank epa for taking this historic step to tackle carbon pollution. we have all heard the argument from skeptics that the clean power plant is just another job-killing regulation. but let's get the facts straight. carbon pollution is waging a direct assault on rural america. it is a direct assault on jobs in america and if we sit back and do nothing there will be severe economic disruption. in that context the clean power plant most significant action to combat pollution united states is indispensable to our economic future. this is an issue that affects every state in our country but today i will speak specifically about the impacts we are seeing in my home state of oregon where farming fishing and forest

industries are already seeing the effects of carbon pollution. let me start with farming. farming is crucial to oregon's rural economy. many family farmers and ranchers rely on snowmelt to provide irrigation water in the spring but we are already seeing a 20% drop in the snow pack in a cascade since 1950. with warmer temperatures and less water farmers are seeing significant problem regarding the supply of water for their growing season. not only that the precipitation patterns are becoming increasingly irregular adding a layer of uncertainty for farmers to invest in their livelihoods and crops. farmers and ranchers in the klamath basin of oregon for example have been hammered by major droughts in 2001, 2010, 2013 and they are struggling to stay afloat. if you talk to these farmers and

ranchers not just in klamath county but throughout oregon you will hear the impact of the changing climate is not some distant threat, it is a threat and reality right now are you working to fishing. fishing is another critical industry that is in danger from the assault of carbon pollution. with lowered snowmelt we have former and smaller rivers in the spring and in the summer making it harder on our droughts and certainly more difficult for our salmon and steelhead. over on our coast our oyster farmers are impacted by ocean acidification. greater carbon dioxide in the arab sore by the ocean results in more city. when a carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean becomes carbonic acid. our ocean is 30% more as city today than it was before the industrial revolution and this increased acidity is preventing young oysters from forming shells causing mortalities in

oyster hatcheries. if that is a challenge for baby oysters what else is going on in the ocean food chain or chain of life that we should be deeply concerned you will hear that climate change and carbon pollution is not a distant threat but it's happening now on let's turn to for us. carbon pollution is also a combating threat to oregon's forests to support thousands of jobs in our state. former conditions put air force under greater stress making them more prone to wildfires. you have to look no further than the wildfires burning in oregon today to see how bad this problem is. at this moment we have several large fires burning in oregon which have consumed almost half a million acres and with many months to go in the fire season.

in fact the fire season has grown from five months to seven months just since the 1970s. in addition mountain pine beetle infestation are turning previously green portion to read landscapes of dead trees known as the red zone. these infestations spread across the northwest to warmer and shorter winters. combined with decades of hazardous fuels blowing up an air force climate change as climate change is made in a bad problem worse. so if you talk to forester's in oregon you hear that climate change isn't some distant thre threat. it's happening right now. we could look at any one of these impacts as an anomaly. but when you look at the full picture and you look at the trends the science is undeniable. certainly carbon pollution is assaulting our rural resources and the impact is growing.

our farming fishing and forest tree matter. they matter in the state of oregon that matter to her our nation and they need to be protected. the clean power plant will not only save jobs in those sectors that will invest in hundreds of thousands of jobs in the clean energy economy. in fact the solar energy industry alone employs roughly twice as many people as the coal-mining industry to say nothing of plan -- wind geothermal and other renewable resources. this is why some port and took support to come clean power plant. let there be no doubt the clean power plant is a key tool to reduce the job-killing impacts of carbon pollution. it's a catalyst to help grow a thriving new clean energy economy that will provide even more jobs and a healthier planet. as henry thoreau once said, what good is a palm if you don't have a tolerable planet to put it on? thank you.

>> thank you very much. could i remind all speakers to state your name for the transcriber when you start. >> good morning. my name is jack markel and i'm the governor the state of delaware and i'm testifying in support of the clean power pla plant -- power plan not because what we think might be possible but because we know at this plan can do for the nation. the epa's proposal to address climate change would be cleaner air better health more research manufacturing and construction jobs and more efficient and less costly energy. we know that because we see all that's happening in delaware where over the past five years we have shifted from one of the dirtiest energy mixes in the nation to one of the cleanest. we have decreased emissions by a greater percentage than any other state while creating jobs at the same time and we have done so with the same approach the president proposes for the country. we shut down or fuel fuels which

nine out of 10 of our dirtiest power plants and installed hundreds of billions of dollars in pollution controls. we have increased with appointment of solar technology 30 times since 2008. we have strengthened building codes and spurred $100 million in efficiency upgrades and we have also worked with states throughout the region to dramatically cut carbon pollution. the regional greenhouse gas initiative or rggi which you have heard about has used a market-based system to reduce carbon pollution from power plants in our states by more than 40% since 2005. epa's plan will stimulate this activity across the nation and let states use solutions that work best for us individually to reduce dirty emissions recognizing power plants produce more of these emissions than any source in the country. this one example of what our strategy is meant for delaware i

recently visited the site in dover where hundreds of people are working to build a natural gas power generating facility for kal pine industry. kal pine is made up our duty to transition away from power plants to that produce the most emissions and of course they do it because they care about the environment but they also do it because it's good for their bottom line. in addition to facilities like the one dover will produce cost-effective energy that will reduce energy bills while making our state more attractive to manufacturers. back across the country is projected that the clean power plan which rank electricity bills by a% by increasing efficiency and reducing demand. the economic benefits go far beyond impact on individual energy companies or consumers bills. a report last month on the economic risk of climate change illustrates the widespread effects including damage to the agriculture and energy sectors as well as coastal communities public health and their labor

productivity and all of this damage costs us a lot of money. in delaware we have seen how rising sea levels are more powerful into frequent storms and weather conditions put families and businesses at risk. like senator merkley was talking about in his state are largest industry of agriculture faces severe conditions that harm crops and the lowest lying state in the nation climate change can literally put much of delaware underwater. all states face their own challenges and we governor some have the luxury of pretending climate change is not causing damage. we are on the frontlines of hurricanes and wildfires droughts and other natural disasters. please see the costs of addressing the damage after-the-fact. we live with the consequences of inaction. our families and businesses can afford to wait and see what happens before we act. i look forward to its implementation. thank you. >> thank you both very much.

senator marquee. and i'm a little out of order. greg dodson and then fred crop will be on the next panel probably. i would like to encourage anybody who would like a seat there are plenty of seats in the middle or behind if you prefer to sit. >> thank you so much. i am senator ed markey from massachusetts and i'm here today to stand with america's families who want clean air safe water and a stable climate. the planet is running a fever. there are no emergency room's for planets. america must lead. history calls us to reduce greenhouse gases and unleash a clean energy revolution. when america says strong

environmental safeguards in our innovative spirit rises to the challenge millions of jobs are created. millions of americans are healthier. our air is cleaner, our water is safer. but that hasn't stopped critics from attacking these proposed rules and mr missile protection agency. republicans in congress have said these rules would be catastrophic. the house speaker called them. one even accuse epa of acting like terrorists. if the critics of climate action spent more time believing in american innovation and less time attacking climate science i believe our economy, our garment and our planet would all be better off. because in my home state of massachusetts we have been reducing carbon pollution for years and the results are tremendous.

the proposed epa rule says that america should reduce our carbon emissions from coal plants by 30% by 2030. from 2005 levels. massachusetts as part of the regional agreement to cut emissions has already reduced emissions by roughly 40% by 2005 levels. massachusetts has moved aggressively to natural gas to renewables and energy efficiency. we are a small densely populated state known more for the perfect storm band for her thickly sunny days. last year massachusetts ranked fourth in the nation in solar deployment. we have been the number one state in the nation for energy efficiency for three years in a row and we will soon be breaking ground on the first offshore wind farm in our countries

history. what were the effects from all of these carbon cutting, clean energy actions? employment rate has outpaced the national average every single month except free since the 2008 financial crash. we employ 80,000 people in clean energy in massachusetts. that number is expected to grow to 90,000 people, working on clean energy in massachusetts by the end of this year. when electricity rates around the united states have climbed 13% over the past eight years, they have actually declined by 6% in massachusetts over that time that we have been reducing our greenhouse gases. during the same year's massachusetts economy expanded by 23% on nearly $80 billion in

and the amount of lectures of a weakened saddam actually declined. massachusetts we have radically slashed carbon emissions. we have grown our economy and created good 21st century jobs. we have reduce the amount of electricity we have consumed and we pay less for electricity. massachusetts has shown that reducing carbon pollution can be a money saver and a job creator. i think administrators conti and the epa staff for crafting a common sense rule that will allow each state to find the best way forward to make carbon pollution reductions in their states. as the epa works to finalize the rule during the coming year i encourage the agency to look closely at the ability of energy efficiency and renewable energy to try for further pollution

reductions. the reality of climate change is already here. globally, june was the hottest june on record going back to 1880. the warmest june ever. for 352 straight months the planet's temperature has been above 20th century average. that means of -- if you are 29 years old or younger you have never known a month with out hotter than average temperatures. the seas are rising, storms are getting stronger, the drought is longer, heatwaves more intense. in may i had the honor to meet and discuss climate change with pope francis and his top advisers in the vatican. he understands that regardless of faith or party where all called to respond to this personal and planetary challenge. these epa rules allow the united states to engage in clean energy job creation that will benefit

all of creation. global warming is a moral issue. it is a security issue. it is an economic issue. it is the challenge of our time and we must rise to meet it. thank you.

now a pentagon briefing on air force operation. air force secretary deborah lee james and chief of staff general mark welsh spoke with reporters for more than an hour. >> good afternoon everybody. welcome to the state of the air

force press briefing. and brigadier general mobilization assistant to the director of public affairs and i'm very privileged to introduce the honorable deborah lee james secretary of the air force and general mark welsh is chief of staff of the air force. let me give you the groundrules wrote that. what we are going to do today is secretary james and general welsh will have opening remarks and then we'll open it up for questions and answers. standard rules of engagement apply today so please state your name and affiliation when you are called on and then we will do one question and one follow-up and depending on how much time we have with us if we can get to other questions. if there are any questions we don't get answered today you are more than welcome to call the air force press desk so without any further ado secretary james over to you. >> thank you general and thanks for spending time this

afternoon. i have now been on the job as the 23rd secretary of the air force for about seven months and during that seven month period i have divided my time obviously some of it here in washington focused on working with our congress, working on budget matters, a 480 of policy issues and the other part of my time i have focused on getting out and around and seeing our air force in action. i have seen all of our five core missions at work now including 39 different bases across the united states in 22 of our states and i've been overseas now twice to include afghanistan, kuwait, the united arab and are at qatar the united kingdom and germany. when i took over as secretary of the air force i did establish right from the beginning three priorities that are critical for all of us as we go forward to accomplish all of our missions in these three priorities just as a reminder are taking care of

people, number two striking the right balance between the readiness of today and providing for our readiness and modernization tomorrow and number three very important in this tight budget environment we need to make sure they make every dollar counts because the taxpayer dollar is precious and we have to spend all of those dollars wisely. today but i would like to do, i could like to give you my update on how i think we are doing against all three of these priorities. beginning with taking care of people is obviously critically important and there are many many elements to the people's story in the air force but i will tell you my take after seven months has been very blessed in the air force because we have impressive airmen. they are smart. they are dedicated. they're motivated. they are really pumped is the way i would put it. we have been very fortunate to have and continue to have solid recruiting and retention and for the most part across her air

force morale is high so all of that is very good news. i will tell you this. i do feel our airmen are feeling some strength -- strains and the biggest issue on them minds of our airmen and i know this because i do calls it the right does the uncertainty that they are facing because of the downsizing and uncertainties of budgets and where are we going with their air force. general welsh when i yield to him in a few minutes is going to give an update on the downsizing and our force management processes but one thing i would just say for now and i know i speak for both of us our mutual desire is to get where we need to go as quickly as we can to get it over with as quickly as we can and then to move on to the future of our air force. beyond that there are two special topics that i would like to pick out. many topics are personal but there were two i would like to touch upon in the first one is sexual assault, and very important topic.

everywhere i go each and every installation i always ask privately with our sexual assault response coordinators again around the country and around the world, i do meet with him in private. i asked them to get me the utmost candor in the bottom line question i'm a is looking for is to you think we are on the right path links are we making progress in stamping out this crime? my take on this after seven months and in all of my discussions plus my discussions with other leaders and so forth is that we are making good progress. our reporting is up. we have increased reports in fy13 and also the preliminary reports for fy14 are often i think that is good news because that means to me at least i believe it means that our victims are feeling more comfortable in coming forward and explaining what has happened to them. now we don't yet have our prevalence data.

that will be coming later in the year so we don't yet know the progress we have made or not made when it comes to prevalence. we will know later this year. i'm also hearing from the field that they believe the commanders on top of this and they are taking it seriously. it's a serious matter across her air force and is viewed as such. i am hearing that her training as been improved. i've gone through some of the training myself when i thought it was terrific training so the training has been improved over the last year or two and we are constantly looking at the care we give to victims to tweak it this way are to tweak it that way to make it the absolutely most supportive that we can. as i think you know if the general proposition rededicated ourselves in the last few months of what we call her core values which is important across all parts of the air force in the core values of course our integrity, service before self and excellence. all of these things to me add up to what i say we are making

progress on this front but progress is of course not good enough. what we have to do is keep on it so it means persistent focus persistently there should been persistent action for pretty much forever. the chief and i are fully committed to doing just that. the second topic on personnel as their total force which of course was means or active-duty air national guard or reserve and civilian workforce. everywhere i have been i have seen a terrific total force team in action. and when it comes to the active duty, the guard and reserve you are probably aware that we have made the commitment over the next several months to the end of this calendar year. we are going to be assessing on a mission by mission basis our force to see what additional capability might be put in the future into the guard and reserve and we believe we will have 80% of our entire force

looked at between now and the end of the year. so of course we don't know how that will turn out but i would expect that out of that we will come up with additional capabilities that we would ask our guard and reserve to assume in the future. i see the future of our people program to be more reliant, not less reliant on national guard and reserve. shifting now to the balance between the readiness of today and our modernization meaning our readiness of tomorrow, coming off a 13 years of war and most recently coming off of sequestration i will say in my opinion we are not where we need to be or want to be in the air force when it comes to our full spectrum of readiness. and certainly if you look back over the last month or two it has been an extremely volatile world which makes me concentrate even more on our readiness. ..

it has been difficult to get some of these proposals approved through the congress. it is not dead yet, but it has been a difficult road. it also appears that we will not be provided with the authority to do another round of base closures. basically, the message that we keep taking to congress at every