some of our territories from all the way to hawaii that we do have to take very should easily. and that does create a sense of urgency in moving things forward. .. urgency in moving things forward. you know, my colleague from virginia, kind of underscored the challenge here. sanctions with the regime that does not seem to care about what happens to its people are very difficult. and the kim regime is not taking the interest of the north korean people at stake here. so they are the ones that clearly are suffering. so we have a limited tool box here. just thinking those various

jones, your opening testimony was touched upon where china is north korea's last remaining patron. what would happen if china joined us in the sanctions if we're just thinking through and really did cut north korea off? how would north korea respond? >> well, china has said that they support fully united nations sanctions and i talked about some of the signs that the chinese are beginning to take unprecedented action in that direction, signalling to north korea they will pay a price if they don't come around in particular on the nuclear issue. this is why when we talk to the chinese we try to talk about how we can work in concert to bring

pressure on tnorth korea in a surgical way. we're going to keep at that because we think increasingly the core chinese interests in stability on the korean peninsula and our core interest in security that these are converging concerns. and we are seeing signs for the first time in decades that the chinese also recognize this that their stability will be affected unless we can address proactively north korea's pursuit of these weapons. so that's where we're concentrating our energy, and we're saying to the chinese there's more you can do. we respect the fact you'll make decisions about how you do it. but we need to do more. and it's more effective if we can do it together with our partners. >> we're increasingly showing north korea there really is only one path forward, that is

de-escalation, de-nuclearization and becoming a more conventional nation. you know, shifting to a different scenario, again north korea continues to posture with, you know, missiles towards the south korean border and so forth. again not helpful. what would south korea's response be at this juncture, i think south korea has shown incredible restraint given some of north korea's provocation in recent years. if, in fact, there was a misfire accidentally or intentionally that were to land in the south korean city, seoul is not that far away, what have the south koreans indicated their response would be at this juncture. >> the south koreans are increasingly resolved should there be a provocation on the park of north korea they will

respond. in 2010 there were two deadly attacks by north korea on south korea including that resulted in deaths of south korean civilians. so this is what our alliance with south korea is all about. ensuring that together we can present this united airlines front on the peninsula to north korea and they can understand that they can't repeat the aggression that they perpetrated on the south in june of 1950. those days are gone. best path forward is, in fact, the vision that's been laid out by the president of south korea who has talked about a path forward involving peaceful u ff unification. so par pyongyang, north korea has rejected that. >> i want to make sure people in south korea know that as one of our close allies in the region we do stand with them in the right to defend themselves.

>> absolutely. >> to make sure those listening in north korea understand that we stand with the north koreans. >> job one for us. >> thank you very much. gentleman's time has expired. i think that is the end of the questioners this afternoon. we want to greatly thank the panel and for your testimony. members will have five days to revise their statements or even so the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.2% from 6.1% as more americans started looking for work. the jobless counted as unemployed unless they are actively seeking employment. average job gains reached 244,000 in july and that is the best average in eight years the

environmental protection agency proposed new rules to cut carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. tuesday the agency held the firsfirst public hearings on thw rules. more hearings are planned in atlanta, denver and pittsburgh.

this is just under an hour. power plants are the largest source of carbon pollution accounting for roughly one third of all domestic gas emissions. the clean powerplant for the existing powerplant. the state specific goals to lower the pollution from power plants in their state. they are determining how to meet the goals. states will choose how to go into the plans to meet the goals by the year 2030. the proposed rule is to address carbon dioxide emissions from the modified reconstructive

powerplant. those that placed the conference up to such an extent they received 50% of the total capital cost of the entirely new comparable facility. if you like more details on either of these proposed rules there are fact sheets available. today's hearing is one of the four public hearings in the state on the two proposed rules. we toucwe've had china disintern each of the hearings. we have a lot of people signed up to speak today and we want to hear from all of them so before we get started i will go through a few housekeeping items and

ground rules to make the hearing run smoothly. first the sure you check the registration desk even if you're not planning to speak and if you spoke up on phone but haven't told us that you're here let the epa staff know that you have arrived. second, if you are a speaker you were given a letter when you check in. room eight or be. if you are looking for room b con ed is right across the hall. i will call up the speakers in pairs and when your name is called please come to the front of the room right here. i will try to give people a heads-up on who is on deck and who will be coming up shortly so you can be prepared to know that you are coming up shortly. when i call on you to speak

please state your name and organization tha of your speakin behalf of us and spill it for the court reporter. your comment will be transcribed and included in the record of the proposed rule. each speaker will have up to five minutes to give comments. we had a light to help you know how much time you have left to speak. our timekeeper over here to my right is gabrielle and when it turns from green to yellow that means you have one minute left. when it turns red an come of its a signal to wrap up your testimony. it will flash red and deep when you've spoken for five minutes and it's time to stop. i would also encourage anybody if they come to the conclusion of the testimony before five minutes, that's okay. we do not give extra credit for talking more and brevity is always appreciated. feel free to make the points you want but don't feel bad if the light hasn't turned red when you

finished. please wait at the table until the person next to you has completed his or her testimony and then i will call the next pair. we are here to listen to you and that is the primary focus. we may ask you questions to clarify a comment. if you have a written copy of your testimony, please give that to the staff at the registration desk before you leave. because the large number of people that signed up to speak today and we did have people sign up for all of the available spots so we expecte expect it ty busy throughout the day and to be sure that we are fair to everyone, we are going to enforce the five minute limit. the panel is going to be here anyway but we want to make sure the people that are waiting to testify had their chance so we appreciate everybody wrapping

up. if you have additional comments you can make them in writing. with me assure you we could just as much consideration to the comments we receive and writing as we do comments that we receive in public hearings like this one so if you have more that you would like to say please submit. there's still time to get the comments and after today and there will be cards available. we are taking comments until october 16 this year. we will put any comments and for the rule and instructions for submitting written comments in other ways are available near the registration desk. we are scheduled to go until 8 p.m. tonight and we will take a dinner break so everyone can get something to eat and we may take a break throughout the day and we will keep you posted as the day goes on.

if you have any questions see the staff at the registration desk or anyone with one of these handy-dandy nametags and someone will try to help you. finally stating the obvious but i would urge you to be respectful to everyone that speaks today. there are people with a wide variety of views and we want to hear from everyone. we have people hold applause. that takes time. we ask you to listen quietly. thank you for taking time to share comments on the proposed rules. the first one i have is how and margie.

you have the distinguished honor of being first, yes my name is hal quinn. national trade association or the domestic industry that produced our members produced coal and uranium to the fuel that comprise 60% of the electricity supplies and the minerals essential for every segment of the society as well as the manufactures machinery = supplies and energy producers and users and developers and technologies and other innovations that keep the industry productive as well as the nation competitive globally

the less reliable sources and proposal in our view is studying to make the nation's entire electric grid reducing the diversity of the electricity supplies and raising its cost will impair the economic recovery as well as future growth. in those region of the country that services are the predominant source of electricity generation. retail rates are 30 to 50% lower than the coal generated electricity. gpa estimates the proposal is 27% of low-cost generation electricity in the next ten years and this will result in the loss of at least 200,000 high wage jobs in the coal supply chain. the fact of the matter is when they lose his or her child every american knows this. they lose energy and economic security and perhaps their own jobs depend on the reliable

electricity. many of them are implausible about the future energy demand and the dramatic shift in the sources for generations and reducing energy usage. each of these assumptions are what the eta calls building blocks rest upon a weak foundation. let me just mention a few. the operation maintenance practices for all practical purposes they are already routine and taking place in the power plants more economical and therefore more possible. at the same time the earlier rules issued two years ago require extensive rich rosettes that will make them less official at the proposal endorsed many of those to run at reduced to suboptimal levels which in turn will also make them less efficient. building block number to

dispatching from the natural gas power plants. epa assumes the power plants run 70% capacity factors. there is no evidence the plane sustained generation at this high level. the assumption appears to be based on the model and the carbon price we see in the current trading and any analysis of the capabilities for the gas delivery system. as the epa acknowledges the 10% gap needed to sustain this assumption and the natural gas pipeline system. building block number three increased the intermittent generational sources and the growth of the generations are highly on the financing access and technical challenges posed on the intermittent electricity sources for the grid. we have not seen any indication how those are taken into account. building block number for energy efficiency is 1.5% growth in

energy efficiency year-over-year lacking any credible basis in our view. over time the energy savings declined significantly absent a breakthrough. they do not identify the breakthroughs to stand on the 1.5% growth rate and efficiency and such are not on the present horizon they will not be available in the ten year period for the mission targets. as each building block crumbles we are placing measures to the plan from the end was all too plausible. epa insists the flexibility to meet targets. however, the proposal places them in an energy straitjacket at the outset that each adjustment more painful economically and risky for the system reliability. the flexibility states to maintain a diverse and low-cost reliable generation mix for the citizens economic and energy security. the value of the generation and diversity stability and power supply at the end of prices is missing in action in this

proposal. the past winter provided a clear warning that power systems are close to the edge of breaking and additional power plant retirements in the rules would push it over the edge. businesses and families in many parts of the country placed high prices on electricity and to solve a home heating bills strike as the natural gas prices climbed with competing demands among the power plants, factories and households. the coal-based plant supplied 92 present for this winter. what will happen if we experience another this year were the year afteorthe year afe closed due to the epa rules and an analysis performed by the ventures analysis shows that wholesale power prices will rise 27 to 57% across different regions of the country. no state is fair. businesses pay $35 billion more for natural gas. these are the consequences of the poorly designed policies and the reason epa assessment of the economic impact on the rules inspire and.

after all the epa projected the agency's rules would cost less than 5,000 megawatts of the capacity to close and as it turns out it will likely be ten to 12 times more. this is all before the current proposals for carbon dioxide. the presentations have generated many thoughtful questions but in our view how the rules can actually work. however there is one inescapable fact the costs and risks are real and the benefits are not. epa expects to much when it asks governors to put their economic energy security at a great risk and to have their energy supplies and infrastructure andd forfeited estates full potential for economic growth. thank you.

thank you. good morning. glad to be here and appreciate you having the session around the country. i'm the executive director of environmental america a federatiofederationof 29 state-y groups they lead over one and 1 million members and supporters all across the country. margie alt. we've talked to folks about this issue and have done the research and really try to understand that the impact of climate change are on our families and on the planet and to that end have been destroyed in over a million pieces of literature to folks across the country helping to connect the dots between extreme weather and carbon pollution and the rule that epa is putting out so i sit here in strong support of the power plant. >> just a couple of weeks ago i got back from a trip i took the

alaska and what seemed to me like a romantic brainstorm driving down on the cabin turned into a 20 or 30 year flood that hadn't been seen in the years past. it flooded the road and it was impossible because of a mudslide and we ended up having to be evacuated by the national park service which the great jo doesb by the race of good work to your colleagues. and it's not just the national park is being flooded. the glaciers are now 95% in recession and it's not just in alaska. it's here in the lower 48 as well. as the wildfire happening as we speak in washington and oregon were just two years ago on the east coast the impact of hurricane sandy which also affected me and my family. i grew up in long beach new york

that was totally devastated by the hurricane that has since been rebuilt and my brothers still live just a few miles away have just finished redoing his house from the distraction of the storm and justifying the second car also remained in hurricane sandy. from the perspective of global warming is no longer the problem in the distant future of the work for people far away. here, now. it's happening to me and all americans. the headlines every day remind us that we need to do something and we need to do it now. that is appreciative of the work that they are doing to keep the carbon pollution from power plants. it's no secret is the single largest source of the global warming pollution responsible for more than 40% of the nation's production of carbon pollution. research shows the dirtiest 50 plants in the country actually

emits more carbon than all but six countries in the world. states around the country are already moving to take action to clean up or shut down the dirtiest plants and we are excited to support or to implement california's global warming solutions act to save 780 lives by 2020. global warring pollution from power plants on the east coast have fallen by 30% and the new tighter limits have is on track to cut the pollution even further in the region. at the same time the program has added a $2 billion to the regional economy and lock in more than $1 billion in savings on energy bills for the east coast consumers. so it is time to stop listening to the naysayers and start learning lessons from the state success stories.

there is more and more of those powered by the renewable energy. each energy is going further and states are becoming more and more efficient. we have millions coming online in california. strong policies in minnesota and massachusetts and more and that's why the environment america strongly supports the power plant has the single largest step that the u.s. has taken to tackle global warming but it is only a step we have come a long way but our work is far from done if we are to stave off the worst effects of global warming to the world america needs to cut the global warmingg pollution 80% by 2050 at a minimum readin needing the prest commitment of 17% reduction by 2020. we can make a difference and we have made a difference and i hope that we will continue to make a difference through the clean power plant.

we believe that it will get there. thank you so much. >> if you pull is closer to resolve everybody will be able to hear. >> i am the president of the industrial energy consumers of america. the trade association with annual sales to companies have been truly inevitable sales and marketing 1.4 million employees.

the companies i represent are energy intensive trade exposed. they compete with companies around the world whose competitiveness is largely dependent upon the price of natural gas and electricity. these companies relatively small increases in the cost of energy can have relatively significant impacts of the competitiveness and ability to create jobs and exports. energy intensive industries consume over 81% of the energy of the entire manufacturing sector. examples include chemical, plastics, nitrogen fertilizer, steel, aluminum, glass products, paper, food processing and cement. the companies support responsible, cost-effective action to address climate change and in fact the industrial sector is the only sector of the

entire u.s. economy whose emissions are less than they were in 1973. however, the unilateral climate action by the u.s. that results in increased energy costs ten disadvantage to manufacturers could damage the competitiveness and result in the job losses. the u.s. cannot go to the mound and expect that our actions will have meaningful climate impact in the world economy that is using more coal and foster a belief of fossil fuels everyday. every day. for example the epa says the proposed rule would reduce 730 million metric tons of carbon by 2030. china increased its emissions nearly that amount in one year from 2010 to 2011 the co2 emissions rose by 705. we are competing with those companies. the key message that we want to

deliver is that we are very worried about the rule would substantially increase electricity and natural gas costs and create reliability problems but in the manufacturing sector at risk, good paying jobs with relatively small global climate impact. the rule would substantially reduce the use of the coal-fired generation and it is low cost and it's reliable. perfectly it competes with gas, natural gas on the basis that helps keep electricity costs low. the rule would increase dependency on the natural gas for the power generation. natural gas is delivered in real-time dot stockpiled by cole and in the winter of 2014 and demonstrated how over reliance on natural gas generation by two reliability issues on gas transportation and electricity deliverability and with spiking prices for both natural gas and

electricity. the rule would also increase reliance on renewable energy that can be very expensive and is also unreliable. our manufacturing facilities run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. reliability is critical. grid reliability curtailment of manufacturing facilities. these can cost small manufacturers tens of thousands of dollars a day and large many factoring companies tens of millions of dollars a day. this is especially troublesome during the peak demand period. electrical allergists can damage is not thif not the story the et that we use to manufacturers and the product itself. and most importantly, reliability is an important safety issue for our employees. importantly, all regulatory and energy costs of this rule will

be passed on to us. the consumer. we are the ones that are going to pay for this rule. the concern is the greenhouse gas rule is only one of several that imposed costs and these costs are added and increasing our electricity prices. according to the epa the greenhouse gas rule would increase industrial electricity prices by $2.2 billion each year a total of $37 billion by 2030. when added to the electricity forecast for the industrial prices the prices will rise 154% by 2030. this means from 2013 to 203817 year perc period we can expect a year and that is in contrast to the last period that we saw the prices increased 2.8% per year.

on the natural gas the epa estimate is that the prices will increase up to 12% and when added to the forecast, the price of natural gas is forecasted to rise 164% by 2030 fo 2030 the significant, very significant. as electricity and natural gas prices manufacturers lose their ability to compete and will be forced to move offshore and that is what happens from 2000 to 2008 because of the natural gas prices. we shot down over 40,000 manufacturing facilities and we lost 3 million manufacturing jobs and when this happens but good paying jobs the emissions but offshore and this refers to the carbon leakage. forcing energy intensive and factoring companies offshore because of high energy costs accomplish nothing

environmentally and damaged the domestic economy and employment. for this region in energy intensive industries at a minimum would need to carbon allowances and border adjustments to prevent greenhouse gas leakage. and we urge the epa to acknowledge these realities just as the waxman markey bill did and as the state of california. it is for this reason that we request the epa perform a carbon leakage and officers to assess the carbon impact on the industry's. any carbon leakage costs could be subtracted from the epa benefit calculations. because the proposed rule regulates greenhouse gas emissions outside of the fence it sets up again and possible precedent for the future regulations of greenhouse gases are the manufacturing sector. the rules president would require them to produce greenhouse gas amounts that are above 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 of our line. our customers are all over the world and not just in the u.s. and this regulation imposes the cost that the global competitors would not have. thank you for considering. >> thank you very much for your testimony. >> the next speaker is -- next is reverend codes ann also sarah. >> this morning. my name is anna bravcho from an apple is maryland. i thank you for t opportunity

to speak speak in favor of the carbon plants and rules. my city of an obelisk has been around for over 300 years. like most coastal cities, it is in danger from the rising sea levels due to climate change. just yesterday, july 28 -- are we okay? -- should i continue? just on july 28 be posted on the website a report entitled sealevel rise and frequency around the united states. by the way the flooding often results in the flooding basements, road closures and compromised infrastructure. in the report at the top of the

list was an annapolis maryland with an increase in flood of nine under 25% over a 50 year perco from 1957 to 1963 out of the outage numbers of the floodgates in a year was 3.8. the number was 39.3. that is approximately one out of nine days. in dc the number of days increased from 6.3 to 29.7 days a year or 373%. it is becoming a frequent part of the weather forecast. we no longer need storms or hurricanes to produce flooding, this becoming an everyday occurrence. by spending millions of dollars we can attempt to protect the most valuable real estate through engineering.

the cost of the sealevel rise navigation and the value of the lost in india to the property should be considered when calculating the cost benefit ratios of curbing our carbon emissions. who's going to pay for the farms lost, for the houses that are now underwater? i'm grateful that they are taking action to reduce the carbon output through the clean powerplant. it's reasonable and achievable. many of the states are almost there and they strengthened their proposed standards and emphasize the energy efficiency and the use of the renewable sources. >> thank you very much.

>> good morning and thank you for the opportunity to share. i am a senior pastor at the baptist church in clinton maryland. because i am a pastor, some white essay on that i have nothing to add to the conversation about climate change and environmental justice. however i've made it a point to stress to my congregants might be beefed.

the issue of environmental justice is important to me because the past predominant congregation including the other respiratory ailments these disparities in health. this is not some problem out there for another generation it affects us right here power

plants and other major industrial facilities and areas emitted more than 450,000 patrick times of carbon pollution in 2011 that sql to the yearly pollution for more than 95,000 cars. these industrial facilities are harming our economy and our health. there are members of the congregation that suffer that have environment latest illnesses and they are elderly commissioners burdened by the declining health data link on it ... such as lung disease, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure which are only made worse by carbon pollution and climate change. they are with those in th widows that have lost loved ones due to industrial produced respiratory diseases. many of these individuals are also young people, children whose quality of life has been

diminished by the industrially produced air pollutants. in scripture we are given a clear mandate to care for the elderly and those in distressed. the names of the poor especially children. for this reason i have pledged my support to the clean power plants because it attempts to correct the abuses of the former generations so that people so children can live and grow in a cleaner, safer and healthier world and the ones we are on track to leave. we need to clean power plant. it is sensible and environmental policies that provide states the flexibility they need but can't keep the energy affordable and

reliable while ensuring our children have clean air. i am the campaign director and i'm here from richmond virginia speaking on behalf of myself and the 25,000 members and supporters across the commonwealth that we represent. in virginia the consequences of global warming are clear and present. the recent natural climate assessment pointed to the impact that we are already feeling from more extreme and severe storms, agricultural troubles to the rising seas and a storm surges that put our coastal communities at risk.

we are the second most vulnerable regions of the sealevel rise and the entire country and that some in-depth cities and regional planners in the area, the u.s. military and local residents can tell you. and increased temperatures also mean more unhealthy days that risk more asthma attacks and respiratory disease. and as a resident of richmond in the area that has that as the capital of the country for many years that is very important to me. scientists are clear that unless we act now to reduce the pollution that is fueling global warming most importantly carbon dioxide, things will only get worse for our children and we won't be able to turn back. we suppor support the clean powt and we believe it is an important step and support the finalization of the strongest possible plant to cut the carbon pollution. power plants are the largest single source of u.s. carbon

pollution and while we must move quickly to limit the carbon from all sectors of power plants are the best opportunity in the near-term to make dramatic reductions. virginia's power plants contributes to nearly 4 44% and this would clean up the plant by 31%. the environment in virginia applauds the epa for responding to the urgent need to protect public health and the children's future by reining in unlimited carbon pollution. 150,000 public comments have been submitted by virginia in support of limiting carbon pollution to date. and over 60 local and state elected officials over 100 small-business owners have also endorsed the climate action plan and the epa proposal. public opinion polling shows

that a majority of the virginian support the epa taking action on climate and to limit the pollution from power plant. given the scope of the problem and the urgent need to ask we can do better by harnessing the power of clean energy. virginia and the utilities operating in our state are far behind the neighboring states into developing the clean energy industry. the neighbors in south carolina have an old 335 megawatts of solar power while virginia has 15 to 18 megawatts of solar that have been installed by the home owners and colleges, the military and others that we have a huge potential to meet and exceed their goals laid out for virginia and a proposed power plant through energy efficiency and of th the deployment of clen

energy resources like wind power. if our states offshore wind area were to be fully developed, we could cover over 700,000 homes blowing off the coast of virginia beach so we can build a future where it eventually all of our energy comes from the wind that blows off the coast from the sun never shine that se rooftop every single day between the buildings so efficient that with a solar panel on top we can cover the entire building and have more energy produced and we actually need to use. that is a feature that virginians deserve and americans deserve and that is a future for the clean power plant helps us make a stuffed words. thank you very much for allowing us here to speak today. >> thank you for the testimony. the next speakers are on deck

behind them. >> good morning. thank you. in the state of west virginia and house of representatives, thanks for having me here today. and i appreciate your good hard work and i know you are going to have a couple days. i want to stick my opposition for the power plant. with this unprecedented rule for each ca has gone beyond requiring existing coal plants operating as efficiently as possible. instead the framework is built around. the federal government has no business picking winners and losers in the energy economy but that's exactly what the eta rule does. i would like to share with the

rule would it do to my state if you had come to west virginia you would have seen this for your self dph has held public listening sessions on the rule but not one of those has been in the ten states that heavily rely on coal for electrical generation. west virginia being one of them. if you come to west virginia you would have heard from those that did depend on the work for their families. in logan county that retired member when he testified for the house energy and commerce committee that the policies are condemning the families to the poverty and despair they are directly related on the industry to keep the companies afloat. you might have heard from christian marsh of the manufacturer in bridgeport west virginia his business used to do a lot of work in the coal mining business but they seen a significant drop.

both of the companies employ hundreds of west virginia workers in an energy intensive manufacturing scenario but by not coming to west virginia to kentucky to the coal producing and consuming states you send a message to that part of the country that our views and experiences don't matter. if you have the federal government refused. the state of west virginia has lost 5,000 jobs between 2012, 2014. many more jobs are at risk because of this agency and the regulatory efforts that are going far beyond what congress intended. my state of west virginia relies 95% of its electricity generated by coal and we will be one of the biggest losers under the proposed rule they could increase by more than 50% by

2020. this would cause even more capacity to be taken off-line which would increase energy costs for consumers across the country. we saw this with the european union carbon regulations which increase residential electricity prices by 55% 182005 to 2013. the catastrophic working families in west virginia that u.s. households pay half as much for electricity than households and the europeans and one third as much of those in germany. because of the energy intensity and intensive nature of the manufacturing will cost american jobs help, the energy help keep jobs in the u.s. and jobs that our economy desperately needs. coal miners and a power plant workers aren't the only ones that lose under this rule. forfeiting the energy advantage will send more american manufacturing jobs overseas and hurt our economy. as our governor of west virginia

has said not one single plant in west virginia beats the average standard of the 1620 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour that would be imposed on the state. i recognize that means not every cold plant would close but it would definitely mean the closure of another unit would be mandatory. our economy benefits from the diverse mix in all of the above strategy. it's important to know in january and february of this year 92% of the increased demand for energy -- ali was met by coal. american electric power that operates in west virginia and across the midwest was operating at 89% of the capacity that next year would be shut down due to the other eta regulations. in the house of representatives i worked tirelessly to help the people of west virginia and help

the epa and this administration understand what the regulations due to our state. i continue to advise the epa to come to west virginia and hear all sides of the issue. i've offered bipartisan resolutions calling for the epa to move sessions in the reliance states. i'm here today for the five minutes to tell you that we think the consequences of the agency's decisions on the people i represent. the rule threatens the economic survival and i will continue to lead efforts in congress to help stop the rule and also i promise you the state and its people will also fight to school everyday you think you all so much for having me. >> thank you. i know pennsylvania, not west virginia that we d but we do haa session in pittsburgh later this week. good morning my name is bill bil dekker &-and-sign the executive director of the national association of clean air

agencies. our members include 42 state and 116 local air pollution control agencies across the country that partner with the epa to implement and enforce the clean air act. section 111 of the clean air act in the member agencies with the ultimate responsibility to draft, sign and submit the state plans under the clean power plant proposed rule. therefore i am pleased to have the opportunity to testify this morning and to provide some initial reactions the epa proposal. the views expressed in the statement do not reflect the views of all of the member agencies. more than one year ago, epa began its efforts to develop the rule for the early outreach to the other stakeholders. in response, our association developed a section of principles and submitted them to the agency in august of 2013 and

i have a copy attached to the testimony. we recognize the extensive level of the effort that went into developing the powerplant. though its proposal does not offer everything for everyone, we appreciate they have included much of what was recommended in the principles. and i will give you general examples by highlighting features of the proposal that are consistent with our principles. in terms of process, the epa d. serves credit for its outreach effort which was unprecedented and the duration and scope. basal input from the groups especially state and local air pollution agencies and was in the keakey interest and expertim other stakeholders such as state energy officials and utility commissioners that remain ongoing.

further they not only engage in the discussion that listened very carefully to what was said. we asked for the limits that reflect the state circumstances. the proposal includes the state specific goals based on the state and regional factors. we ask for flexibility. the proposal addresses flexibility in several ways and incorporates the building blocks for setting up the best systems of commission reductions including renewable energy and energy efficiency. it includes compliance flexibility beyond the building blocks and the strategies like fuel stretching and natural capacity and estates of the wide latitude to identify the overall compliance strategies and response to the local circumstances. we ask for more time for states to develop plans and effective sources to meet their obligations.

the proposal offers a one-year extension for all the states and an additional two develop a multistate approach. effective power plants also have a decade to comply with the new standard and in some the rule reflects many of the issues the highlighted almost one year before the proposal was released. undoubtedly the same state and local dialogue that informed the epa powerplant proposal must also inform its final rule. the members are still considering the proposals numerous and complex facets that much of the analysis so far has focused on the calculation of individual state goals. some have expressed concerns that due to the stringency the compliance flexibility is significantly limited. while we appreciate the extra time they are providing state plans we are hearing from some that they may still need

additional time to the legislatures and rule-making time frames. many states are concerned that the proposal does not adequately reward states that early action. we encourage them to work with the individual states to address each of these issues in the final rule. though not strictly part of the proposal the significant resources as the state and local agencies will need to make the powerplant a success must be addressed. the planning end of the analysis needed to be the target of substantial and require additional support. the president recognizes the challenge and in the proposed budget when he asked for a $20 million increase to support section 111 development. thehe reiterated strong supportr the initial funding but cautions against the funding coming at the expense of the state and

local agencies programs. programs. further we urge them to build an the strong foundation of the proposal dialogue to develop resources to facilitate the state to the police to conduct the section 111 planning. so in conclusion as we move further into the comments period will continue to examine the proposed rule and changes to approve it. once again, thank you for the opportunity to testify. >> they extended the hiring surge into july by adding a solid 209,000 jobs. even so the unemployment rate ticked up to two-point -- 6.2% as americans started looking for work. the jobless are not counted unless they are seeking an appointment. average job gains reached 244,000 in july and that is the best such average in eight yea years.

.. and now live to the senate. will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. god of our forebears, whose

almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band. thank you for the opportunity to live in a nation which seeks to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. may each day we strive to contribute to the strength of this land so that the dream of our framers will become a

continuous reality. use our senators as they seek to make america a beacon of freedom for our world. lord, so often we pray for our lawmakers, but neglect to intercede for those who support them, providing wind beneath the wings. bless all who labor for liberty. give us traveling mercies during the august recess. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the

united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c, august 1,2014. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tim kaine, a senator from the commonwealth of virginia, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: our good chaplain is still in the chamber and he has such a way with words. i'm so impressed with the prayer this morning where he recognized

the only way we get things done around here, maybe as little as it, and if we could do more we could get more with the good staff we have. i appreciate the prayer of the chaplain and extend my appreciation for the hard work of this staff. everyone in this room works hard, whether they're police officers, enrolling clerks. they do everything. and i'm really grateful to what they do to help us all look better. i wish we did more so that we would look better, but that's the way it is. i move to proceed to calendar number 471. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 471, s.j. res. 19, joint resolution proposing an amendment to the constitution of the united states relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following my remarks and those of the republican

leader if any, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. senators will be permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each during that period of time. mr. president, i understand there are two bills at the desk due for second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bills for a second time. the clerk: s. 2772, a bill making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2014, and for other purposes. s. 2773, a bill making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2014, for border security, law enforcement, humanitarian assistance, and for other purposes. mr. reid: mr. president, i would object to any further proceedings with respect to these bills. the presiding officer: objection having been heard the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. reid: mr. president, i'm satisfied and pleased that we have a number of senators on the floor that wish to speak. i'm going to say just a few brief words and then we're going

to go into a quorum call until the republican leader comes. he has something to do here, so i'll wait for him. mr. president, we find ourselves at the end of this work period having done not a lot. there's a lot of blame to go around, and we could spend all day blaming each other. but the fact is we need to do better. i am grateful, though, yesterday that we were able to pass that veterans conference report. mr. president, it wasn't what we passed out of the senate, but it was okay. it will help. and i admire very much the people that were able to get that done. bernie sanders has worked extremely hard, and i'm not sure that he could have completed that without the work of the senior senator from arizona. the bill was -- the conference was really dead a week ago. but the senior senator from

arizona weighed in and with his influence, with democrats and republicans, it was made possible to go forward. it was brought back on track. so i'm surprised that the, my friend from arizona is here, but i acknowledge the good work that he did. without his mccain-like advocacy last friday and thursday night, it wouldn't have happened. mr. president, i'm not only grateful for the conference report we got on the veterans matter, but also the highway bill. i think we need a long-term highway bill and i think we'll get one in the near future. the work done by senator boxer and others to have a long-term bill because they want us to finish something this year didn't come to fruition. we passed it here. but we worked together and have a bill that will allow construction to continue.

in the house, mr. president, i regret that we were not able to overcome republicans resistance to funding response to the humanitarian crisis at the border. again, mr. president, we could stand here for the next couple of hours and fix blame as to whose fault it is, but the fact is i don't think it's going to get done. i've watched closely with the house. i've heard commentators and it's surprising, i'm told that even charles krauthammer today said this is a little unusual. they weren't able to complete their work yesterday, and the day before, so what they've done is demanded that president obama do things on his own, for which they've sued him on. so it is a little inconsistent. one of the republican congressmen, a senior senator, was on -- a senior house member was on "morning joe" this

morning basically saying the same thing. but the house appears to be heading from bad to worse, as the house republican majority hunts for votes on border policy. so let's be clear about what's happening today on the other side of the capitol. house republicans will vote to deport children who have been living in the united states their entire lives, all napa they particular attempt to appease the tea party. the worse the bill gets the more votes they're getting over here. that's a harsh, wrongheaded idea and if the house does pass the bill, i can't imagine it could be cleared on either side over here. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to consideration of calendar number 220, h.j. res. 76. the reid mcconnell emergency substitute at the desk be agreed to, the joint resolution as amended be read a third time,

passed, that the reid-mcconnell-mikulski title amendment at the desk be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection to the request? mr. mcconnell: mr. president, reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: let me say to my friend, the majority leader, this is a good example of us being able to put aside partisan considerations and work together to help our good friend, israel. and i particularly want to salute senator graham and senator mccain who have been absolutely relentless in their efforts to make sure that we sent this important signal to israel at a very tough time for them. they're being, in my view, criticized by everyone for pursuing a policy that i'm absolutely certain we would pursue if somebody across our border were launching missiles

at our civilian population. i think it's important for us to send a signal that the united states stands behind one of its best friends, if not its best friend, in the world. i think the prime minister of israel pretty well summed it up when he said there's no moral equivalency here. hamas launches missiles on civilians and israel warns civilians when it attempts to attack, and hamas uses its own civilians to protect its missiles. no moral equivalency whatsoever. and so as much of the world levels its criticism at israel, i think it's important for the united states to say what nonsense to suggest that the israelis are doing anything that almost any country in the world would have done had its citizens been threatened by a neighbor as israel has experienced.

so obviously i do not object. mr. mccain: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: mr. president, i would like to just take a moment to thank both leaders for their effort in bringing about this much-needed not only the funding but the signal that the congress will send and the president will sign that we are supportive of them. we all know the latest news is tragically that a proposed cease-fire has broken down, that apparently an israeli soldier has been captured and all of us know the ramifications of that in the future is the value that the israeli government and people rightfully put on each one of their citizens who serve. i'd like to thank again our majority leader and republican leader for coming together on this most important signal.

this isn't just about money. it is a signal from the american people and the american taxpayer that we are with the israelis because if we, they do not have iron dome, they can't defend themselves. it's that simple. the iron dome is the ability to keep innocent civilians and neighborhoods and families from being destroyed by these barrages of literally thousands of incoming rockets. again, i thank my friends. there has been no one more relentless in this effort than the senator from south carolina. i'd like to yield to him. mr. graham: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: yesterday -- the time is blurred now. i don't know if it was yesterday or early this morning. a very bad thing happened to the people of israel. during a cease-fire that they agreed to, an israeli unit apparently was attacked by a

hamas suicide bomber, and after that attack there was a charge against the unit in question, and apparently a soldier has been kidnapped and taken to the tunnels. it is so appropriate that today, of all days, the united states senate speak with one voice. senator reid, i cannot thank you enough for making this happen. senator mcconnell, you have worked to make sure it got cleared on our side, and it finally has. they're running out of iron dome missiles to protect themselves. who do they turn to? us. $225 million is a lot of money, but it's not only the missiles that matter, it's the message that goes with the missiles. we are with you. here are the missiles. use them to defend yourself, and we will stand with you on the battlefield. we'll stand with you in the court of public opinion. and we're going to push back

against a united nations that's becoming more and more antiisraeli. as disfunk -- dysfunctional as the congress has been, this is one of or finer moments. we're about to leave here soon with a lot of work undone, but let it be said that we did have the foresight and the ability and, quite frankly, the moral decency to end on a positive note. you can say a lot about this congress, and much criticism is zeved is, but here is what you cannot say: we left israel until a lunch. in a bipartisan manner we were there when they needed us the most to. our friends in israel, stay as long as you need to stay, do whatever you need to do. to our friends in palestine, we grieve when children are killed. there's no more innocent person on the planet than a child. to the palestinian people, reject hamas and seek peace. we're not your enemy. we stand to help you, but you have to reject this terrorist organization that has the

coldest and the darkest of hearts, that would kill every israeli child and put your children at risk. reject this hateful ideology while you still can. to our friends in israel, there is more to come when it comes to standing by your side. i thank both leaders of the senate for rising to the occasion. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i aappreciate the words of my three friends. mr. president, there are times when bipartisanship does not exist. i hope everyone will note last night when we couldn't get this cleared, i, we -- there was no finger-pointing. i understand the person objected. he is a fine man. he's man of principle. but i had faith in this institution and our sticking by our friend, so i -- i'm happy to

be here today to be part of this conclusion. now, the situation in israel is grave. we think this iron dome protects israel. it protects a lot of israel. but israel does not have enough iron domes -- plural -- to protect them. they need more. but this will be certainly a step in the right direction. 3,000 rockets have been fired in the last two and a half, three weeks -- 3,000. but for this technology that was perfected by the israelis, they would be in dire straits. there would be a war in the mideast that we can't imagine. and, mr. president, let's be real lesrealistic. are we going to benefit from what they've done? of course we are. this technology they are sharing with us as we speak.

there was a cease nie cease-firt lasted about two and a half hours. it's terribly unfortunate what's going on over there. but as david brooks said on the "news hour," this sceivive columnist -- this conservative columnist said he had never known of a conflict in history where one side says kill more of us. iltit's hard to comprehend, when the israelis notify there's going to be action taken in this building, would you leave? the leadership in gaza tells them to stay there. unfortunately, a lot of them do. this is something that is hard for me to comprehend, something

like this going on. that little country, that tiny little country is the only democracy in that whole area. that's it. netanyahu, if i were in israel, i may have voted for someone else, but the israeli people determine who leads that count country. and i don't know of a bond of friendship that we have or ever had in world history better than this one. so i will stand by israel. i will stand by israel for a lot of personal reasons but certainly for political reasons. and i have no hesitation in declaring to the world that's how i feel. the presiding officer: there being no objection to the unanimous consent request, it is so ordered.

under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. the senate will be in a period of morning business until 2:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each.

a senator: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call: