than four decades, and we've done it by relying on the best available science, by being transparent in our decision- making, and by working with everyone to develop commonsense approaches to protecting and improving the environment across the 40-year history has proved that we can reduce per pollution while creating jobs and strengthening the economy at the same time. it is this history that brings us here today. to hear from you, as we consider the best, most flexible approaches to reducing carbon pollution from the existing power fleet. in 10ay's meeting, and others like this around the country this fall, epa is reaching out to the public at large to get your input. we want to hear from everyone, including communities, industry leaders, environmental and

public health groups, labor organizations. we want to hear about how eba should develop and -- epa should develop and implement carbon guidelines under the clean air act. in addition to listening sessions like this one, epa headquarters staff and leadership, including administrator mccarthy, have been meeting with industry leaders and ceo's from the coal, oil, and natural gas sectors. a been working with everyone, including governors, mayors, and present congress, state and local government officials, and environmental advocacy groups, and many other stakeholders. we want to be open to any and all information about what is eachtant to each state and stakeholder. that is what this process is all about.

we are also reaching out to leaders in all the states and tribes to hear their ideas as we develop our proposed guidelines. the clean air act calls on the states to play a key role in reducing carbon pollution from existing plants. we know we can learn a lot from ongoing efforts in the states and in cities and communities as well. all of which have been incubators for innovation. many already are leading the way to cleaner, more affordable, more sustainable energy. for example, 10 states have already implemented or are implementing their own market- based programs to reduce carbon pollution. more than 35 states have renewable energy targets. more than 25 states have energy- efficiency targets to cut energy waste.

and more than 1000 mayors across the country have signed agreements to cut carbon pollution. we want to learn more from their experience and ideas and yours, as we begin this important effort. today's listening session will focus on the best approaches to reducing carbon approaches -- carbon pollution from existing power plants and how those can help us develop guidelines under the clean air act. if you would like to comment on our proposed standards for future power plants, and i hope you will, there is information in the back of the room to get you started to submit those comments. the clean air act gives us separate frameworks for addressing new sources and addressing existing sources. before i turn things over to my colleague john to give you more details about the existing

framework, let me remind you why it is so important you are here today. real threatge is a to america, and not just a threat for the future. it is happening now. just think about 2012, the extreme weather events we saw first hand are the very types of events that climate change can make more likely to occur. no one can forget superstorm sandy, combined with the rising sea level, extreme storms like that one can cause more devastating storm surges in the future. 2012 was the same year that was the hottest on record in the lower 48 states. with climate change, we can expect to see longer, more frequent heat waves in the future, along with increased heat-related deaths. wildfires in 2012 scorched more than 9 million acres across

eight states. tiresres can put in communities at risk, damaging properties, costing lives, and producing dangerous levels of air pollution. and wildfires are projected to earn even larger areas in the future. at the same time, flooding caused by more frequent extreme weather events in the u.s. cancer and fish and wildlife habitats, along with threatening our clean, reliable sources of drinking water. ultimately, and most importantly, climate change is about health. in addition to the extremes i just mentioned, carbon pollution and hotter weather can lead to longer allergy seasons, contribute to the spread of insect-borne diseases like west nile virus, and worse than

small, which puts children and elderly and people with heart and lung diseases at risk. the good news is we can do something about this. we know that climate change cannot be solved overnight. it is going to take a broad, concerted effort from all levels of government, and the international community. but make no mistake about it, we cannot afford to delay. we can successfully face the challenge of climate change if we work together and if we act now. -- wetion we will this will discuss today is an important step in that process. again, i would like to thank you very much for being here today, and my colleagues and i look forward to hearing your comments . i'm going to wrap up by doing something i should have done at the beginning, and i apologize for delaying. i know you were thinking you were listening to a nameless

eurocrats, but in fact my name is joseph goffman, and i'm senior hensel to the assistant administrator for air and radiation. now i will turn it over to my colleague john millet. >> thank you, joe, and thanks again to all of you for joining us today. before we turn it over to the audience, i want to take a few minutes to walk through the clean air act that the epa will be using to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. these are the nation's single washers sources of carbon pollution. as we listen today, we will think about how this may fit under this section of the law. the president has directed epa to issue proposals by june of 2014, and take final action by june of 2015. , includinggases

carbon pollution, air pollutants that are subject to regulation under the clean air act, epa has the authority to address that carbon elution plants under section 111 of that law. section 111 sets out separate approaches were addressing new and existing sources of pollution. for new sources, which are covered under section 111-b, epa sets standards of performance often called new source performance standards. was is the proposal that signed on september 20 and is available on our website for review. this type of standard astra flecked the degree of emission limitation achievable through the application of what is known as the best system of redness and -- emission reduction. new sources performance standards can address the six common pollutants known as criteria pollutants, but cannot address air toxicity.

for existing sources, covert under section 111 -- be which is the subject of this session, epa does not set standards. you develop a mission guidelines use setates then balance to set policy, while getting the necessary pollution reductions. section 111-d is reserved for addressing what you might call other pollutants, pollutants not covered on the regulation for criteria pollutions. --ed has gases are greenhouse gases covered. most relations have been submitted for new or modified construction sources. few regulations have been developed for existing sources. regulations are called guidelines, but get through all

of the other roles. the guidelines established by the obligations on the states to address in this case carbon pollution from the power plants operating in their state. last month epa posted on our website a document setting out a number of key questions to guide the discussion that we will be having as we get ready to craft a proposal. there are two questions that will be fundamental to that proposal and good to keep in mind for today. they are, first, what should epa consider in setting standards and goals for states to reduce carbon pollution associated with fossil fuels by power plants? second, because the guidelines could include a framework in which states could design plans to show how they will meet the goal, what should that framework the? we know many states already have programs that reduce part -- carbon pollution from the power sector. their leadership shows that opportunities for election may range from actions taken at the power plants themselves to other

programs like energy efficiency in our homes and businesses and requirements.rgy these other programs can directly affect electricity generation attic powerplants which in turn can affect their emissions. we want to learn more about how these programs may be able to guidelines.'s we know there are a lot of ideas about how to get reductions from power plants, so today and in the coming weeks let us know what is important to you. what do you think eba should include in carbon pollution guidelines for existing power plants and why? you have suggestions or ideas about what might work is to reduce greenhouse gas commissions from power plants? do you think those approaches could fit into our guidelines? we want to hear it from you about what programs to reduce carbon pollution epa should explore as part of a strategy to address existing power plants. we are interested in what could be done directly at the plants. we're interested in what could

be done in other places throughout the power system that could potentially reduce pollution from these plants. how could we incorporate these different approaches, what would make sense? if you have a spritz with energy efficiency and our renewable energy program, that might help reduce greenhouse gas illusion, please share with us what you have learned and tell us what we should keep in mind. we look forward from hearing from you today. you can share your thoughts in writing as well, and information to do that is at the registration tables out front. but before we get started, let me fill you in on some ground rules and housekeeping for us here. i will be the one to call the speakers to the microphone in pairs. when it is your churches become a state your name and your affiliation before you begin your remarks. so that we have time to hear from everyone, limit your remarks to three minutes each and remain at the microphone until all speakers have

finished. after you finish your remarks, epa staff may ask or find questions. if you would like this but your input in writing, give a copy of your document to the epa staff at the registration table out front as you came in. you may also e-mail your ideas and thoughts about reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants to carbo npollutioninput@epa.gov. the yellow light will come on with that two-minute mark, and if you see the red light, i will ask you to complete your remarks for it today cost session is going to continue until 8:00 p.m. this evening. we will take a break from noon until the clock as needed throughout the day. if you would like to make remarks but have not yet registered to do so, please see the registration table. we ask for your patience as we proceed through the speakers. we need to make

adjustments, but we will do our best to fit you in. helply, if you need any getting around this building or around the locale, please see any of the helpful folks out front at the registration table, jan, mary, andrea, alan, joe, any of them will be there to assist you and direct you in anything you need. so once again, thanks on behalf of myself and everyone here. and why don't we get started up. i will call the next two names. first we would like to hear from michael heard. please come up to the front table.

ok, gail, why don't you begin. >> thank you for your time. i'm here as a volunteer of the american lung association and someone who has worked in the health-care care industry. i would like to thank you for the new guidelines you are trying to implement for the standards for the new power plants. i am here to implement the same standards for the existing power plants. rookie in the health care industry, i see that our in- patient find increases whenever the air pollution is high and air quality standards are low. i see the impact that the air quality has on our patience. with new guidelines, we are impacted by having to implement changes within the hospitals

because of our in-patient admissions. we can now be penalized for patients who have chronic lung diseases, cardiac diseases, because of their readmission into our facilities, and that is impacted by these standards. we can only do so much in the hospital for helping them to learn about how to take care of their disease and manage their disease, but we can not do anything to manage what they are exposed to outside in the environment. thecourage you to continue work you are doing and to try to implement those same standards to the existing power plants to reduce the impact of carbon pollution in existing power plants. >> thank you very much. >> good morning. manager for the boilermakers in baltimore. a number of boilermakers in maryland and the ourrict of columbia, and

colorization has over 60,000 members. our work is involved in fossil fuel plants. i would like to thank you guys for holding this hearing today so we can get a lot of stuff off our chests. i have been a business manager close to six years now. it first became a business .ditor, he had a lot of work the boilermakers international worked with the epa to try to get the standards up so we could put quality pollution controls on the fossil plants, coal- burning plants, oil, whatever it may become a and there is a lot of technology out there that can ofuce drastically the amount emissions into the atmosphere, -- whatever it may be. we were going in that direction. utilities were implementing network work into their existing power plants. my concern is in the past two years since 2011, the work has dropped off dramatically from my

members. you're talking about -- everybody talking about creating american jobs. they're losing american jobs at home i not putting -- by not putting these retrofits and controls on existing plants so that americans can continue to work in this country doing american work. concerned,hat is you're looking at the closure already a 50,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation in this country. that is a lot of power plants being close already. with the rules being set for june, it will have more closures and more american jobs. is it seems a little drastic the standards that they put on keeping a coal-fired plant is the same as mercury -- a gas-fired plants, what they

admit into the atmosphere is, but if you put the right controls on the plants, you can get pretty close to that. with restrictions put on our country with all these closures of these plants, i think something needs to be asked at globally as far what china and india and all the other countries -- they are polluting into the atmosphere with no quality control pollutant control equipment on their powerplants whatsoever. it seems redundant to penalize the workers of the united states ile the other countries want to leave she pollutants up into the atmosphere. a study said that the plants only contribute to 4% of the toxins going to the atmosphere. if you shut those down, what are we going to replace it with? there's a lot of: this country.

there is a lot of jobs. when you close down a parapet, they think they only close down a power plant, and that is not true. you are looking at existing businesses that are also affected. the mom and pop shops that have the diners, that cater to these people, and there's a lot of jobs that trickle down other than just those existing jobs at that power plant. i believe something needs to be standardss far as the , the limits that were putting on coal, with the technology today and all the scrubbers and stuff that we could put on there, and you can look at carbon capture, which was about six or seven years ago we target -- we started talking about carbon capture. with that, i believe i am rambling, but it hits me deep it is they say i am looking at losing members.

a lot of members are here, and something needs to be done so we can bring the fossil fuels back to keep them working in our place. >> thank you very much for both of your perspectives. >> thank you. >> our next two speakers, first we will hear from david scott bertelson.xt greg we are going to work with our time keeper this time. >> ok. started?me ok. my name is david scott. i am president of the national sierra club. good morning. i appreciate the opportunity to

speak to you today about why the sierra club strongly supports the epa's effort to tackle carbon illusion from existing power plants. make no mistake, these standards are an important and historic first step towards addressing one of the most important and daunting challenges of our time, global climate disruption. i met disruption poses a growing threat to human communities from the natural -- and the natural ecosystems. we are already experiencing its effects through extreme weather events, including heats waves, floods, wildfires, and droughts, sea levels are rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, glaciers and sea ice are melting before our eyes. climate change which science tells us is having because of ever-increasing amounts of carbon illusion and other greenhouse gases is affecting americans here and now and poses catastrophic risk to human health, agriculture, water supply, this is it is of normal

daily life. carbon pollution from power plants is the largest stationary source of u.s. carbon dioxide emissions and immediate action to/and ultimately end that pollution is the only way to ensure that future generations inherit a habitable planet. scientists and doctors for if the earth warms, unhealthy level of ozone will increasingly become more widespread. higher smog levels mean more cases such as respiratory ills bonuses. according to the merrick in london association, 154 million americans already suffer from unsafe levels of air pollution. operators, and cracked accountable will mean less disease, reducing health care costs, and a bitter quality of life. the fastest possible transition to a more energy efficient

economy and to clean or energy sources such as wind and solar will not only cut the risk of catastrophic climate disruption, but create incentives for innovation that will create new jobs in a clean energy economy. protecting workers livelihood must be an urgent priority. we flatly reject the notion that protecting human health and the environment are incompatible with a healthy economy. poll demonstrates the public supports implementation of clean air act protections him and once -- and wants epa to do its job, protect public health, voters recognize this threat. a recent poll showed that 80% of young voters support the president taking action to address the threat of climate change. in closing, we strongly support the epa's efforts to clean up dangerous carbon pollution and applaud this important first step in the transition to a clean energy economy. thank you.

>> good morning. ertelson,s greg b and i am pleased to offer the following remarks to the environmental protection area plans.s manufacturers are committed to protecting the environment to greater sustainability, conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. make no mistake, the regulation we are discussing today is about energy. i would generate it, whether we can rely on a steady and secure it.ly of energy is the lifeblood of manufacturing. in your ventures consume 1/3 of the nation's energy. your ability of entry to record impact the ability to compete in a global economy. today, ingenuity of

manufacturers and energy reduces and endeavors of makes of energy resources, energy is a bright spot for manufacturing. manufacturers are making big investments in energy. if done the wrong way, this revelation will threaten energy reliability, increase costs for manufacturers, and turn a competitive advantage into a disadvantage. as the epa develops this revelation, manufacturers encouraged to consider limits. first, there is a limit to what the law permits. an attempt to expand beyond what the law allows will never this will lead to delays in irrigation, per credit trade uncertainty that will sign -- we need to know the rules of the game. we urge the epa to consider what is legally permissible under the act to avoid years of regulatory uncertainty.

the cleane to believe air act is the wrong tool for dressing greenhouse estimations and believe. second, there are limits to what is achievable. technologies are remarkable. today's plants can generate more electricity and fewer resources than before, and do so in a friendly way. i call technologies, there are limits. rafting a regulation that requires more than what technology allows leaves plants with only one choice, shutting down. let's not take any energy option off the table that would cut manufacturing jobs in the process. with the right policies and access to affordable energy, manufacturers will continue to develop sustainable solutions that will fuel job creation and drive economic growth. thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. >> -- >> thank you.

erikaxt two speakers are whisker and james nelson. >> good morning, and thank you for the opportunity. behalfe to speak on of mom tossed clean up force. team, working the primarily in special media channels, i have the privilege of interacting with members on a

daily basis. hearing their stories and providing them with resources and feedback. i sit here today about half of our members. there is a stories, especially children, that stripping the most. whether it is north carolina three teen sisters, both severe asthmatics, who experience --or person from massachusetts, whose pediatrician prescribes a five- day course of steroids [indiscernible] mia calls these pills the crying medicine is they cause her to have nightmares. these people are the tip of the iceberg. over 7 million children suffer from asthma. june 2010 study for the d's control centers show and

increase in asthma for all ages from 2001 to 2009. how do we reverse these numbers? how to issa suffering of future generations when it comes to this disease? reducing carbon pollution is a critical first step. nation'snts are our largish first of carbon pollution, with 40% of our nation is carbon dioxide emitted from power plants. carbon pollution is causing global warming and hotter weather means more zone. more ozone buses more lung damage. more locally, in d.c., the air received an f rating for ozone according to a 2013 report, putting the health of thousands of children at-risk. we know what he can and should do. t isobvious place to star power plants.

setting standards for all power plants that exist in our country today. so vividly reducing the deadly carbon pollution that is emitted unchecked [indiscernible] and breathed in by vulnerable lungs. evidence of the past few months, more than 13,000 members have commented in support of the proposed new source carbon pollution standards, a sign that our members are in favor of strong regulations. additionalshow an and easy as and for more results for and on behalf of the over a hundred 80,000 members, children,these three i urge you to set strong pollution standards for existing power plants. let's make the united states and easier place for future generations to breathe. generations we are counting on throughout -- to run this country sunday. these future generations and their lungs will thank you. thank you. >> thank you.

>> i am the director of the present richer and church usa office of public witness in washington, and i'm pleased to a here today representing denomination, but also representing the work that we're doing with creation assist andstries, environmentalists and activists, and others who are in the same place of looking at reducing carbon pollution. the united states [indiscernible] -- produces more greenhouse gases than any other country, so yesterday the world meteorological or his agent announced the amount of greenhouse gases in the absurd reach a new record in 2012. according to the epa, 40% of the

united states'car pollution and 67% of the direct admissions reported under the greenhouse gases program. a report approved by the general assembly of the presbyterian church, and titled power to change u.s. energy policy and global warming. states emphatically that we both have a spiritual and moral response ability to address the issues related to global warming in order to do this, we believe repentance is required. dependence calls people and nations to stop the actions that are contrary to god positive czars for the sustainability of human life, while turning to a new way of living. god can give us a power to change. we believe that. the core of this understanding is the belief that the psalmist is right in the bible when he wrote, "the earth is the lord's

and the fullness thereof, and those who live within it. therefore, we call upon this administration as well as the united states congress to look at the possibilities and encourage a centralized and the shifted power generation, the centralized and renewable energy systems and wind can relieve pressure on the power grid cannot create new jobs, and empower local communities. moratorium on all new coal-fired and nuclear power plants take place until related environmental concerns are addressed. ofrdly, we asked the limits expiration of new fossil fuel supplies, where this can be done without adverse damage to people and the environment. today we believe this environmental action agency carbon role listening session is a great first of.

we believe all nations should share in the restoring the lessons theest of creator has given us in this world would live in. thank you. our next two commenters, bill bumpers and frank [indiscernible] . >> good morning. i'm here on behalf of a coalition for innovative climate solutions. the coalition for innovative climate solutions is a group of electrical generating companies and electric service providers located across the country. amber's reflect a diverse geography and widely varying energy resources and state delivery frameworks, and there

are eight companies who represented all aspects of the electric industry, from the utilities, public power, electric co-ops, and businesses doing business in 15 states. as epa developed this relation to establish greenhouse gas standards for the power sector, our goal is to write epa and the states with constructive input on how best to set such standards so as to achieve meaningful elections to a process that is legally defendable, economically rational, and workable across the geographic and market land snakes. our members have experience of leading these measures that achieves certificate reductions. youguiding principles for in developing these regulations for existing sources under muston 111-d is that epa recognize the primacy of the states in setting the standards and in implementing their programs. second, you must encourage the

states to be flexible and promote innovation. you have to allow the states eli's the wide range of measures gaschieve the greenhouse emission reductions. many of our members have achieved dramatic reductions in the past 15 years to measures and policies in cooperation with their states. you have to recognize the bride regional diversity and the opportunities available to states in electric generating companies. amongst our coalition, we have operations from oregon, kentucky, louisiana to north dakota, minnesota and new jersey. one size cannot tell all. in fourth, you have to allow the states to benefit of the measures in the program saved undertaken to address climate change. we support an approach that tilts on the years of hard work that leverages existing state programs by allowing and distaste of a portfolio of measures that are appropriate to each state. the existing source of can'touse gas rules

achieve gives reductions while minimizing this location. within the industry, some of the most reductions will occur in non-emitting generations sources. 'sa's authority -- epa authority is limited. epa cannot are the states to adopt programs such as renewable portfolio standards, energy efficient programs, or cap and trade programs. epa can't recognize such measures and programs may be more effective and that the states can implement these programs. we think these flexible permits will result in the greatest reductions at the lowest cost and can be achieved through a federal program. thank you. >> thank you. to remind the speakers, least talk into the mic as closely as you can. . hi, my name is frank --

i am with the international local of boilermakers. we represent about a thousand workers in virginia and west virginia. a lot of our guys make livings repairing and maintaining power these, also constructing devices that take out the pollutants. we recognize the need to keep the air clean, and we just feel like these are requirements that will be too strenuous on owners that have put billions of dollars into these plants to clean them up as much as they can to this point. technology is starting to catch part of coal that we

have not been able to figure out yet, the carbon capture and sequestration. we do know that it can be done, coalight now we know that is our greatest natural resources, and we cannot just shove it off to the side at this point. we are the saudi arabia of coal and there are a lot of things that we can do, but we are going -- these owners are going to need more time to keep that -- to bring their plans into compliance, but they all will need to have help from you guys in allowing them to come up with ringsplans that sequestration into play and solve this issue with carbon. if we shut down all our coal tar plants we will -- it is not going to be able to keep up with the 50,000 megawatts lost. the wind and solar projects are slow to bring us up to that thatcher, but nonetheless, we

feel that this is a job-killing proposition for a lot of people, from us all away down to the coal industry, and i feel like there's a lot more jobs affected by this than what you guys realize. that is all. >> thank you. >> the next two on the panel will be seth and samantha. >> would morning. th --me is se

i live in virginia. i retired a month ago after a 35-year career in the apartment of justice. i did not work on environmental issues, and i never really thought of my self as an environmentalist until a few years ago, i became more informed about global warming, i'm a change, and i'm here today on my own initiative. no one is paying me. i do not resent anyone other than myself as a concerned citizens, a parent, and perhaps someday a grandparent. i also, after i retired, enrolled in a program at johns hopkins university, studying for a masters degree in energy policy and climate. i'm in my first semester. i have homework. i was doing it the other day. i'm reading a book by david wrote anho introductory textbook on global warming. he is an ocean i'll just from

the -- an ocean on agar from the university of chicago. i knew i was getting ready for coming here today, and i came across a sentence that just i had to bring up today. the future of the earth's climate depends mostly on what happens to call. theight have well as said future of human civilization depends on what happens to coal. ells usthat science that coal burning and the carbon dioxide emissions are causing enormous problems for the country and for the world and are going to cause even more. when i hear manufacturers, the electric power industry, the coal industry argue against taking any significant action, we hear a lot about jobs, we hear a lot about the economy, but they frequently fail to address the problems that are already happening and are going to happen even more seriously in the future from global warming

caused in large part by carbon dioxide emissions. a groupt, the ceo of called the american coalition for clean coal electricity complained about epa standards. he said they are going to kill jobs. he talked about all the pollutants that have been cleaned up so far by the coal industry, but he did not mention carbon dioxide. you cannot just ignore the problem of carbon dioxide, and you cannot wish away the problem of global warming. these are serious issues. the science tells us what needs to be done. the coal industry and the electric power industry have had lots of time to get ready for this. they have really not taken it seriously, and i urge the epa to take strong action to reduce carbon dioxide illusion. thank you. >> thank you.

>> i am a pediatrician in alexandria. i am a fellow of the american academy of pediatrics. i'm here to express our support for the proposed carbon standards for existing power plants. thank you for giving the opportunity to speak out about children and the issue of carbon pollution and climate direction. children are avon herbal group. according to the world health organization, more than a percent of the health burden due to climate change occurs in children less than 5. this includes the broad effects increases disasters, in allergic and asthmatic diseases, food and water insecurity, and increased heat- related deaths. there are reasons for the unique vulnerability of children. their physiologic is different.

they breathe more air, the drink more water, and eat more food than adults. they screech greater exposure to environmental toxins. the behaviors of children are different. they spend more time outside. vulnerable to changes in air quality. children are dependent on safety.s for their children are still developing, and adverse impacts have have -- can have effects that last a life. inse can result cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. i would like to talk about children who have been affected by conditions due to climate change. hurricane katrina devastated new orleans and caused the largest

displacement in our nation's history. children as young as 4 experienced separation from caregivers. approximately 40% of new orleans children developed stiff and mental health problems as result of this. as the weather disasters hit with greater frequency, or families and children will bear the burden of experiences like this. climate change is influencing infectious disease patterns. and nile is now endemic, tics now survive in canada. ballet theater is caused by a fungus that is highly sensitive to heat and sensitivity. a young girl in california contracted a fever in 2000 six.

she required treatment for over a year but remains at risk for relapse. rising at mr. carbon is a major -- rising atmospheric carbon is a major threat. the epa is applauded for taking this crucial step to protect the future of children by reducing carbon emissions of existing power plants. thank you. >> thank you. next. we have -- two, keller and pearl mitchell. >> good morning. thank you for allowing us to do this. i know you are in for a long day today. my name is todd keller. i'm with the advanced energy economy as their vice president of federal affairs.

awe supports the u.s. eparon -- the standards. in developing these standards, awe urges the epa to provide maximum flex ability to incorporate advanced technology and services into their implementation plans. awe believes in establishing standards in this manner will move the united states towards a higher performing energy system for the 21st century. thanks to technology innovation, we have more options for meeting energy needs than ever before in history. we call this new options advanced energy. as documented in a report, impacts of advanced energy -- advanced energy is more than a one dollar billion energy industry worldwide, and they to $157 billion.

advanced energy represents an opportunity to create prosperity across the economy as we modernize our methods of producing managing and using energy. advanced energy provides a wide range of technologies and services that can reduce emissions. advanced energy includes energy ,fficiency, demand response solar wind, natural gas and electric generation, hydro nuclear, electric vehicles, and more. use technologies and services provide the state with an array of options as they develop implementation plans to meet standards in covering omissions. believesg, awe designing the standards to allow the states the flexibility to incorporate these technologies is thelementation plans politics. sex flexibility is the best approach to achieving reductions from power plants.

thank you very much. >> good morning. earlme is earl mature -- mitchell. let's start with what webster talks about illusion. a serial discharges of the atmosphere to make him clean, corrupt, contaminant, dirty. what we are discussing here is how dirty do we want to make our planet. the burning of coal, the 30s carbon fuel, actually harms both air and water. my remarks will conserve water. case in point, the solid residue from burning coal is known as coal ash. it is stored in man-made ponds. , the containment

pond broke there and still more than one billion gallons of toxic waste. selenium, which polluted over 300 acres of private farmland into raiders. the work is still ongoing. no one can state whether that will ever be fit for human use. i will tell you a history of something i have witnessed more than 50 years. this is no case study or computer model. ande are my observations experiences, starting in the 1950's and what i lived with. i'm talking about the bleachery and how i swim and upon coming up. it was man-made as result of the company building a dam for the middle. was constructed in the 1800's. upstream, butpure

when it was dumped to the stream, after the mill finished with it, there was contamination of chemicals and dyes. could the downstream to determine what cut of cloth they were producing that day. after about three quarters of a mile, the stream dumped into greenwich cove. the cove is an ideal anchorage for small boats, well protected on three sides with a narrow not much and title action. this time coincided with the day having an abundance of - hardshl clams. clan chador, it is mostly made with hardshell clams. dozen hardshell clams cap there skiffs tied up in the code. they had to travel in the main

body to work. the cove had been declared off- limits during the 1940 cost to all fishing due to heavy pollution. before the clean water act. i listed east greenwich the summer. while i was there i went to the cove. i stood on a hill high above the cove and gazed back and thought of those earlier times that i jim, t i the workers, and theilent al, others, and i became sad because the cove is still pollute. it was closed in 1960. >> time to wrap up. >> the pollution remains. that is the end result of neglect. let's work to make this ruling as strong as we can. otherwise we will have many greenwich cove's all over the nation. it is in your power to make this happen. remember that clean air and

water are necessary to sustain life. during the break i will be happy to explain that trade you. >> thank you. thank you very much, both of you. we will call the next two, please. patricia and ashley. remember to speak into the mic. >> my name is tricia, and i am behalf of creation justice ministries, representing 37 denominations and their policies care.ng to creation

our members exist on a wide range of spectrum, from methodist to baptists, and evangelicals to orthodox traditions. we do not agree on many things. is the agree on necessity to care for god cost creation and for people. this morning, the faith community held a blessing to bring thoughts and prayers to this process. standing in the overcast, 28 people who care deeply about our planet and the health of all people gathered together. it was a counter effect on the gifts god has given us, as well as the responsibilities that come with them. as stewards of the land, we are called to care for creation and to ensure we leave our planet better for future generations. the faith community has sought to address i'm a change for more

than two decades, as we believe this is the greatest moral issue of our time. a sustainable and renewable ,ractice must be implemented because meeting our own president needs should not prevent our children and our children's children from meeting their needs. we are looking for cooperation between the epa, states, and utilities to protect god's planet and... people in a way that makes sense and meets various needs. we need strict emissions standards to reduce pollution, but the standards also need to recognize the diverse the us dates cultures and economies. the epa should do all but can't guarantee >> we urge them to prioritize plans that will protect low income consumers from disproportionate and larger increases in utility bills.

he have a responsibility to care for our neighbors. make sure they do not carry burdens from these unnecessary changes. u.s. on paceep the with our international commitment. we urge you to require existing power plants to reduce their emissions by at least the necessary percentage. ourwe this change to brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering at the hands of climate claim should -- climate change. the time for climate justice is now. >> my name is reverend ashley. presbyterianr at a

church. 50,000 honeybees call the backyard of the church home. honeybees pollinated vegetables and the fruits of our gardens, along with the forest oasis right next to us. the eggplants, green peppers, inil, carrots that we grow our urban gardens, those are meals for opentable, our lunch for hungry neighbors. on sundays, our gardens are alive. hungry neighbors nosh on casseroles and egg lands made of soft and azle. -- basil. our backyard is home to beings that many think are disposable.

they are threatened by an ecological rice is created by humans and climate change. we designed our backyard because our trust in the holy one and have a moral vision. we are to renew the faith of the planet. right now the planet is poor from climate pollution. there is a greek word for house or household. for christians of the ancient church, it is not limited to the private home, but referring to the planet itself as the whole house. god's home. how to be a sacred need -- neigh

bor? all who are born belong? where humans and all of life live in each other's lives and die into each other's deaths. there is no way out or around our interconnectedness. it is the way of god and of life. the role of the epa is to regulate. at the church of the pilgrim, we are doing that, tending to your ego location -- to our ecoloc ation. church of the pilgrim charges the epa to care for the household, the whole house, but regulating and reducing fossil fuel power plants.

>> good morning, epa leaders and staff. i am the treasurer and member of the board of directors of building materials association. it is the leading voice of construction. it is a proud member of the american sustainable business council. they currently represent over triple large and small bottom line businesses in america. it was extremely pleased to be able to host epa administrator

as a keynote speaker at its sex in -- second annual keynote speaker. it has also urged the department to disapprove the keystone x pipeline.eystone , i was also-2012 the ceo of community forklift. it is a mile outside the district of columbia. committed to forklift is a net negative carbon emitter. it has been documented in a research by a professor who teaches at a catholic university of america, in 2011, there was prohibited the release of megatons of carbon equivalents

in its annual operations due to the fact that raw material were not extracted, your energy used in manufacturing materials -- nor energy used in manufacturing materials. is supportivera at hand. one problem troubles me greatly. i am against the inclusion of enhanced oil recovery and the types of carbon storage per post. -- proposed. i do not dispute the science of it. what i am dubious of what many of the advocacy of such storage. as a mechanism to extract more fossil fuels from the earth for the more part will be burned for

energy and contribute green gas into the hemisphere. efforts against the epa to reduce carbon pollution. the epa at knowledges -- or storage, it is expected to contain co2. there is the potential for him potential that expected leakage. expected to be modest. due to the mark use of co2 as a purchased product. the ap is now proposing to do so. it makes it more economic and

promotes technology. i dispute this. reed --orces are a thin read. --conclusion, i want to add i thank you for the opportunity to share my views. [applause] >> my name is martin. i am the vice president for .olicy and legislation -- of earthjustice.

holding today's listening session. we have a obligation to protect our children and future generations on the effect of climate change. speaking as a parent, it is a paramount opportunity. to meet this obligation, it is critical that we reduce carbon pollution from the units responsible for 40% of u.s. house green -- greenhouse emission. any role for existing power plants must insure a 35-40% reduction from 2005 levels, which is a 25-35% reduction from 2012. to underscore the importance of achieving reductions, i point to california. according to the california , between 2001 and

2011, and perry to an economy wide reduction of 6% -- and economy widen reduction of 6%. of what it guidance will take for states to get their plans approved. it is important for both reflect that the plants the president climate action plan and to get legally sound state implementation plans as quickly as possible. the dirtiestof coal plants in our nations are operating beyond the intended useful life. the clean air act contemplates the epa and the states consider remaining useful and setting performing standards. for that factor weighs in favor. clean air act is a successful law that are helped to reduce

the levels of many air pollutants and has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of americans. much of this progress has been the direct result of successfully enforcement of the law by both agency and citizens. they can progress on reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants will be dependent enforceabilityd of the rules and the state or federal limitation lands that will implement them. therefore it is vital that the . the rule and be measurable, verifiable, and enforceable in the subsequent plan. thank you. >> thank you. be jane andwill joel.

>> my name is jane. i am here representing myself. thank you for hosting this session. your generosity is not lost on me. we like to add things up and evaluate the consequences. by my reckoning, you're going to be sitting through one or 2000 of these 33-minute testimonials. -- of these 3-minute testimonials. i'm a mother. i work on tuberculosis and a search for a market that will help us better diagnose this disease. it kills people, mostly outside the u.s., but it is a great threat given the advances of the

drug resistance. i am up to my eyebrows with family and work and my community. every day i get up and wonder why else i should be doing to enhance my disability as a climate activists. media joined protests and campaigns. i have posted meeting and provided meals for young activists in town. i have blocked and engaged in actions, including one that got me arrested. outside of myay comfort zone, you would not believe it. i'm here because we all need to do more. correction, carbon emission and climate disruption, curing tuberculosis will not matter. nothing will matter. i am scared.

i arrived tos ago the decision to be a climate activists. why was i shrinking from what i most feared? it has been better since. there are a lot of people like me who have engaged in many more who want to, but have not out of fear and uncertainty about what to do next. huge.pacity is please lead. i support the carbon emission standards for post and i support policies that drive toward conservation and alternative fossil fuels. we need to leave the carbon in the ground. to lead the likes

of me and all of these people here. you can feel it. agitate,hink, press, sacrifice, and demand results. >> thank you. >> through interface, power, and light, congregations work together on energy and climate issues. power and light, congregations work together on energy and climate issues. and are out in support joined by religious voices around the world who are participating in the epa's other listening sessions. the teaching that informs myself on carbon lucian comes from a rabbi comic 14th-century scholar of jewish law.

wrote, "one is forbidden from gaining a livelihood at the expense of another's health." "one is forbidden from gaining a livelihood at the expense of another's health." simple, ethical wisdom. not bad for the middle ages. , here and now, those who operate our power have been permitted to gain their livelihoods at the expense of people's health. i have been limits on other kinds of pollutants, but no limits at all on carbon we haven. here in d.c., one of the highest asthma rates, particularly among children. sometimes they struggle to breathe because of our dirty air. someone is making their living at the expense of their health. polluters a lot from today, saying any -- it will interfere with their job. they have every right to make an

honorable living, it should be for bid and read to make their livelihoods at the expense of people's health. in the religious communities with which i work, people are heartsick about the role of fossil fuels and producing the gas that is producing climate change. they're coming up on ladders to chain to more efficient light bulbs. they're working together to support clean energy through the energy bills. they have bought hard to bring wind power and they're willing to spend many hours and committee meetings vigor how to have solar panels. so often we are told that the changes we are trying to make is unrealistic and that clean energy is so expensive while dirty energy is cheap. who pays for dirty energy? who bears the cost of that air , seniors having heart attacks and pregnant mothers with mercury in their body.

who bears the cost of extreme weatherand devastating caused by climate change? any energy people pay for further help is not cheap energy. it is intolerably expensive. stands morning, the epa poised to set national limits on our nation's single, largest source of carbon pollution. these proceed to issue and improve strong carbon pollution standards. >> thank you. next up, we have dustin and robin.

>> good morning. my name is robin. i'm here wearing three hats. one of them is of a respite. community faith leader. another is that of the west virginia ohio valley environmental coalition. of an eighththat generation, southern west virginia resident. why do i feel the need to travel all the way from southwestern west virginia to attend this listening session? to hear thatt you there are people in west virginia who support the epa's actions to established richter power plant regulations. desperately need this.

as a member of the presbyterian faith community, i believe im called to be a steward of god's great creation and care for the most vulnerable population in all communities. as a member of an organization which actively seeks to preserve clean air and equal justice for all citizens in west virginia, i urge the epa to set strict standards for overall emission reduction while also working for states and utilities to prioritize shifting energy sources to truly renewable sources by geothermal and micro power. instead of shifting to lower costs fossil fuels such as shale gas, which in fact has huge hidden costs. west virginia, by the way he is the only state in the country that hosted both gas fracking and coal mining going on. we are being ravaged.

headwater streams of the eastern coast -- epa and the utilities to prioritize plans that will protect low income consumers for utilityrtionate and bills. i urge epa to move quickly with a final rule so that the u.s. can begin to adjust the increasingly urgent problems of climate change that threaten the mass extinction of many species in the health or well-being of existing human generations on -- toas well as futures tour once. there has been a report titled a strategic plan for a dressing asthma in west virginia. 2010-2014. i want to mention a few highlights from that. has more thanthma

doubled among seniors in west virginia since 1996. really we have over 31,000 children on over 100 23,000 adult in west virginia who have asthma. west virginia adult females are nearly twice as likely to have asthma. the study concludes that west economics with low status and adults without a high school diploma and an annual than $25,000 are significantly more likely to have asthma. meshort, it seems clear to that asthma related health coalts are living near fire plants which we do through all our state, we have no other alternative. who canost the people least afford it. children, seniors, women. lee is established richter rules.

>> good morning -- rules.establish stricter >> good morning. my name is dustin. i'm here to represent a community that i feel is often not mentioned when talking about reducing emissions. i'm speaking about the communities where they mine the coal from these power plants. i'm from a community of the nomination to the basin national avajo nation to the basin. i'm from southern west virginia, i have been around coal mines my entire life. we had to talk about the human health impacts of carbon pollution. andpport epa's efforts leave me there are many more.

i feel that you cannot realistically talk about emissions without discussing the extraction because they are indeed linked. the regulating the amount of coal that is produced by plants that are also helping the community's or the coal industry on a daily bases, let's call it what it is. whole pollution. whether you're living with a power plant in your backyard or a mine site over to your -- your community, you and your neighbor are getting sick president impact to the air quality. the extraction process as well as pollution from power plants is poisoning our air, water, and land. i'm not a scientist. i'm a boy from west virginia. i cannot sit here" statistics. i do not deal with numbers or statistics. i deal with reality. the reality is that people are getting sick and dying from this pollution. we know this.

and our numerous scientific studies that state this. i am however living witness to the death every day. i can spend hours telling you stories of people who suffer like in 19 old girl from my hometown who was diagnosed with multiple types of cancer and has been given two months to live. now living people i played with as a child at 30 years old. this is all because they live around coal. i am sure the residents near it -- living near coal power plant to can tell similar stories. many die of this pollution. they simply do not care about my people. they cater about rockets. politicians, especially the west virginia delegation, well continue the risk -- this is not

true. even if that were true, let me be clear -- no one has a job that is more important than some else's life. contrary to what the politicians and industry say, we know that there are safer and cleaner ways to produce electricity. andmust to come together end the cycle of death. this starts with meaningful regulation. no one should have to live with us the tour issues and other human issues, human health issues, that coal is responsible for. future sake of generations, stop talking. epa, do your job. thank you. >> thank you. the panel we had senator mcconnell.

-- next on the panel we have senator mcconnell. >> thank you. pleasure to be here. the chance to come here on behalf of my state. it is my understanding that these sessions are intended to gather stakeholder input on what people think about future carbon existing powerm plants. i couldn't help but notice the sessions are scheduled only for states were coal does not have a large presence, like california and massachusetts. other regions of the country are well aware that coal provides nearly 40% of our nation's electricity. hearing andhold a hear the concerns -- to come irefuses

decided on the half of the kentucky coal miners and the families that i would bring their concerns to you myself. if the epa will not listen to us, we will come here to the epa. i know it is clear that this administration and your agency have declared war on coal. ons means a war on jobs and -- on our state economy. this is what he had to say -- if sony wants to build a coal power plant, they can. it will disregard them. they're going to be charged a huge sum for all of the greenhouse gas that is being quoted. that is direct from the president of the united states. one of the first things he did among taking office in 2009 was --push through congress bill try to push it through, i might add. 2009, the democratic

party controlled both houses of congress. they held a super majority and a set of 60 votes. they could pass anything they wanted to. the bill only nearly passed the house i could never pass the senate. not pass iny did the senate. at his own party said no. what this president cannot get enacted into law was trying to enact through the bureaucracy. he has unleashed the epa to fulfill the same extreme mandates that were part of his bill. before you do, you will hear from us. notenk it is important to that the beginning of this administration employed 18,000. we have gone from 18,000 down to

13,000. that is a depression and not a recession. for every cold job, there are additional jobs. this administration has declared war on coal. 90% of our electricity comes from coal-fired generation. we can anticipate our utility rates that has been one of the great ways we have been able to attract new industry. we are here to remind you that coal keeps the lights on. nation.ucky and for the i wanted to do sue to a man who will speak for kentucky coal miners today. as a fifth-generation coal man, he truly understands the central role that coal place and in our economy and in our history and yes, in our future. his great-grandfather was a coal miner. his father managed large coal

mines. today he is the president of service at a coal service company. he knows full well how kentucky coal miners work 14 hour days to bring affordable energy to the state and the country. youhe works just as hard himself . if you're truly interested in learning -- listening to the people whose lives you will affect the most, listen to the wisdom and experience. i would like now to call for his observations. >> thank you, senator. did you dismiss off, i'm verydent of a service and much appreciate invitation today from senator mcconnell to come speak with you. , i'm president of the james river whole company. i very much appreciate

invitation today from senator mcconnell to come speak with you. i left yesterday after a 48 hour workday, over two days. we furloughed or laid off for 200 employees. our company as a whole over the last six months has had to do that for many employees. just are communities of 1000 or 2000 people or 3000 people. when you have that type of economic impact due to regulations, and many of which are regulations that come from washington, that have very little understanding of what the outcome is for the local folks, for folks who get up and go to work everyday, the impact will mean for their families, that is wrong. obviously we're having hearings today in d.c.

this is not my first visit here. i have been here on numerous occasions. i very much wish and invite you to coal country. you have heard people speak that they are from coal country erie to some of those folks -- from coal country. there are thousands of folks would love the opportunity to sit and discuss with you the issues that they have at hand. -- theysues are basic want a job and go to work and provide for families and provide college educations and have a decent retirement. as simple as they want to buy a bass boat. it is american dream. without coal, without the that provides jobs, we have very little left. there might be alternative fuel measures that you can pop out of the fuel work on the fatah is point, there is no alternative. , but at thisk

point, there is no alternative. asked the real people of coal country. if you take away our livelihood, i do not know what we have left here again, i invite you to coal country. >> thank you. we will go ahead and take a 10 minute break. minutes, and we will reconvene in 10. >> here is a look at our primetime schedule on the c-span networks. at 8 p.m., the supreme court hears an oral argument which

looks at the practice of opening government meetings with a prayer. on c-span 2, a community of less than 8000 people would consider the capital of american oil kingdom. and on c-span 3, near shapira -- shapiro. >> i think regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, we all feel very fortunate and grateful that we are leaving in that united states of america. it is a very unique ways. if it is considered to be a product and we try to sell our product overseas, what is our brand? is the our brand constitution, the rule of law, and our value system. under that brand and under that notion of equal under the eyes of the law.

and to elevate the rights of americans. >> this is a treaty. a treaty is a law. no one can disagree with these arguments. if the question is whether the treaty will have that legal affect that is being proctored by the proponents of the treaty, we do not hear citations. again i hear consideration of the report. we do not hear the kind of legal analysis that would be appropriate. >> this weekend on c-span, more than 130 countries have ratified the u.s. united nations disability treaty. this week, the senate foreign relations committee calls up the treaty again. watch saturday morning.

malcolm gladwellwell talks about how underdogs can use that to their advantage. saturday night at 11:00. tv, twomerican history feet from then-president ford, more on sunday at 5:30 p.m. >> early today, president obama was in new orleans to speak about the economy. he called for greater investment on u.s. infrastructure and education. his remarks came at a later time in announcing the u.s. economy added 240,000 jobs in october, an unexpected burst in hiring and that is when the government was partly closed down for close to three weeks. ♪ [cheers and applause]

>> hello, big easy. everybody give it up for nancy. [applause] it is good to be back in new orleans. this is what passes for winter in new orleans, huh? ,. you need to go to chicago -- come on. you need to come to chicago to know what it is like to be cold. it is great to be here. my staff loves coming to new orleans. we scheduled the event early. i figure there is a limit to how much trouble they can get into. they can't get over to bourbon street fast enough. there are probably a couple of my staff who are lsu fans. . wouldn't mind staying

i know we have the president here. i saw him a minute ago. i wish them all the best. want to acknowledge a couple of other people too hard here -- who are here. bobby jindal zero. [applause] bobby jindal is here. [applause] we had your outstanding congressman. [applause] he brought down a whole bunch of his colleagues from the congressional caucus for some that theywork, not will enjoy themselves at all while they are here. we're thrilled to see them all here. you have one of the best mayors in the country. [applause] down with your

hastor hubei coincidence the same name, mary landrieu. issues traveling around the state today and doing unbelievable work on behalf of the people of louisiana. i just want to say that nobody is a tougher advocate on behalf of the working people of louisiana then mary landrieu. we are very proud of the work that she does. [applause] to those say thank you who showed me around the port. the -- by the way, anyone who has a seat, feel free. you do not have to stand up. ac, keep on have standing. i do not want you to hurt yourself. is is one of the busiest port complexes in the entire world.

millions of tons of steel and food every single year. i just found out that you also handle a lot of the country's coffee, which means you are responsible for keeping the white house awake at all times. [cheers and applause] [laughter] we have got some coffee folks here. and in so many ways, this port is representative of what ports do. they help keep our economy going and moving products and moving people. making sure businesses are working. coming down from a home state of illinois and ending up your and then going around the world. there is a reason we have been able to increase exports a rapidly. we have got some of the best natural resources and waterways and facilities in our world. growing our economy, helping

middle-class families regain a sense of stability so they can find good jobs, make sure their kids do even better than they did, that has always been what america is about. there are too many people feel that senses slipping away. my driving focus has been to restore that sense of security. it should be the focus of washington regardless of hardy. -- party. that's what everyone in washington should be thinking about everyday. i just want to offer a couple of ideas on what we could do to help our economy right now. the good news is over the past few months our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs. some the took office, we have cut the deficit in half. [applause] that's right. by the way, you would not know this listening to folks on tv,

but the deficits are going down. they are not going up. have been cut in half. [applause] over the past three years, healthcare costs rising at the slowest pace on record. exports are all up. the american auto industry is for writing back. we have a lot more work to do. what we should start doing, the first thing, is to stop doing things that undermine our business and economy of manufactured crises that have been coming out of washington. we learned over the summer that we grew at the fastest pace in a year.

the very day the economic corridor ended they threaten to default on american obligations for the first time in more than 200 years. every time they are just about to take off, somebody tapped the brakes and says, not so fast. >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> our businesses are resilient. we have great workers. as a consequence we added 200,000 new jobs last month but there is no question that the shutdown harmed our jobs market. the unemployment rate still moving up. we do not know all of the data for the second quarter but it could be down because of what happened in washington. that makes no sense. the self-inflicted wounds don't

have to happen. they should not happen again. we should not be injuring ourselves every few months. we should be investing in ourselves. we should be building, not tearing down. rather than fighting the same battles again and again, we should be fighting to make sure everyone who works hard in america, that they have a chance to get ahead. that is what we should be focusing on. [applause] that brings me to one of the reasons why i'm here at this port. we should be focusing on helping businesses sell more product to the rest of the world and the only way the products get out is through ports like this. right now, exports is one of the brightest spots in our economy

thanks in part to a new trade deal we signed with countries like panama, colombia, south korea. we now export more goods and services than ever before and that means jobs right here in the united states of america. last year, it supported jobs right here in this port. we are working on new trade deals, more jobs for more workers, more businesses. by the way, i will go anywhere in the world to make sure that those products are stamped with the words "made in america" on those markets are opened up so we can sell them anywhere. [applause] helping american businesses grow and creating more jobs, these are not democratic or republican writer at ease. they are priorities for everyone regardless of party should be able to get behind. that is why, in addition to helping congress grow exports, i put forward additional ideas

where i believe democrats and republicans can come together to create progress right now. number one, congress needs to pass the farm bill that helps rural communities grow and help vulnerable americans. for decades, congress found a way to compromise and pass the farm bill without fuss. for some reason, now congress can't even get that done. this is not something that just benefits farmers. ports like this one depend on all of the products coming down the mississippi. so let's do the right thing. pass the farm bill so we can sell more products, create more business for this port, and that means more jobs right here. [applause] number 2, we should fix our broken immigration system. [applause] this of the good front national security but it would also be good for our economic security. for the next two decades, it would grow our economy by $1.4 trillion and shrink our deficit

by nearly $1 trillion. this should not be a partisan issue. president bush congress this almost a decade ago. i joined 23 of my republican colleagues to back those reforms. this year, the senate has already passed a bill with broad bipartisan support. all we are doing now is waiting for the house to act. i don't know what the holdup is. but if there's a good reason. to do it, i have not heard of. there's no reason both parties cannot come together and get it done this year. get it done this year. [applause] number 3 -- democrats and republicans should work together on a responsible budget that sets america on a stronger course for the future. we should not get caught up in

the same old fights. we should not just cut things for the sake of cutting them. what's happening in the deficit? they are going down. they are shrinking. they are falling faster than they have in 60 years. all we have to do now is do what america has always done, make wise investments in our people and in our country. it would help us grow over the long term. we should close wasteful tax loopholes that don't help our jobs, don't grow our economy, and then invest that money in things that actually do grow our economy. that create jobs and it helps put people to work in the construction phase and the infrastructure and to help people move forward. this helps us grow. they're doing a great job at improving education here in new orleans.

that's the kind of investment we should be making. that will take root and grow where ever the there is the fastest most reliable network. they can go anywhere. china is investing in infrastructure. europe is investing a lot in infrastructure. brazil is investing a lot in infrastructure. what are we doing? we are doing some good things locally here. the stadium the city are trying to do some work but nationally

we are falling behind. we rely on old stuff. i don't think we should have this old stuff. we should have new stuff. we should keep pace with global competition. that is one of the fastest ways to create good jobs. a few years from now, we will have new supertankers that will start coming to the panama canal. they will go unload cargo somewhere else. there is work we can do in terms of dredging and making it deeper which means the supertankers can have more stuff on them which means they can load and unload more stuff which makes this port more competitive. why would we not put people to work upgrading them? why would we not? one and nine is structurally

deficient. our highways are congested. so is our airspace. everyone sitting on a tarmac wondering why it is they are not taking off and getting aggravated when you fly someplace, we have this antiquated air traffic control system. we need the next generation air traffic control system that would reduce the time to travel, reduce delays, reduce fuel costs, and reduces pollution in the sky. we know how to do it. we just haven't done it. it's just smart to go ahead and do it. it is something we should be able to agree on across the political spectrum. anyone who says we cannot pay

for these things needs to realize we are already paying for them. i'll give you an example. a lot of trucking companies reroute their shipments so they are going longer than they need to. that costs them money. you are paying for it. those costs then get passed on to consumers. the sooner we take care of business the better. if it's something both parties wanted a smart infrastructure projects that create good jobs in their district. i took the step, without congress, to speed up the permitting.

cut through the red tape. it could be part of a bipartisan budget deal. i tried to break some of the arguments, creating grand bargain. we would simplify the tax code, close some wasteful tax loopholes. lower tax rates to create jobs here in the united states and use some of the money we saved by switching to a smarter tax system to create what they need here in america. it's a pretty sensible deal. if we take that step we can modernize the air traffic control system. we could modernize power grids and pipelines to survive storms. we could modernize our schools to prepare our kids for jobs in the future.

modernize our ports to accommodate the new ships. they used to be a broad consensus that these things were important to our economy. we have to move forward. it does not mean that there will not be disagreements but let's work on the things that we agree on. i'm going to make one last point, one area where we have not made much bipartisan progress, at least not as much as we like, fixing our broken health care system. [applause] i took up this cause knowing him is hard. there was a reason no one other president had done it, to make sure every american has access to quality, affordable health care and make sure no american ever again has to fear that one

illness is going to bankrupt them. the work that we've already done has health care costs rising at the slowest pace on record. their growing at about one third at the rate they were one decade ago and we want that trend to continue. we have put in place a system, a marketplace, where people can get affordable health care. no one has been more frustrated. i wanted to go in and fix it myself but i don't write code. to every american with a pre- existing condition waiting for the data could be covered like

everyone else, for folks who could not afford to buy their own insurance because they don't get it on the job, we are going to fix the website. the insurance plans are there. they are good. millions of americans are finding they will get better coverage for less cost and is the right and to do. [applause] i know health care is controversial. it is only going to be so much support we get on a partisan basis until it's working really well and then they will stop calling it obamacare. [applause] they will call it something else. one thing the affordable care act does is allow states to expand medicare to cover more of

their citizens. that would benefit about 265,000 people in louisiana. arkansas has taken this up and covering 14% of their uninsured. republican governors are doing it to. they have reduced the number of uninsured by about 10%. some of these people oppose obamacare but they did support helping the citizens who can't get coverage. we want to work with everybody, mayor, governor, whoever that wants to work with us here in louisiana to make sure that even if they do not support the overall plan with the least go ahead and make sure that those who cannot get it through expanded medicaid, let's go ahead and made sure they do. it's the right thing to do.

[applause] i've said this before. people don't fully appreciate it. hospitals have to take sick people in the emergency rooms. they just will not leave them on the streets. people who are sick wait until the very last minute and it's much more expensive to treat them in hospitals have to figure out how to get their money back. that jack's up cost for everyone else by about $1000 per family. as a consequence, you are already paying a hidden tax for a broken healthcare system. community hospitals struggle to

cover the uninsured when they get sick so it's the right thing to do for the health of our economy as a whole. it is a practical, pragmatic reason to do it that has nothing to do with objects or ideology. -- nothing to do with politics or ideology. the more states that are working together, democrats and republicans, the better off we will be. bottom line, new orleans, we can work together to do these things. we did not become the greatest nation by chance. we have some really nice real estate here in the united states. what we also had were people, despite their differences, we come from everywhere, look different, different traditions, we understand that this country works best when we work together. we decided to do what is necessary for businesses and families to succeed.

if we did it in the past we can do it again. let's make sure we have the best ports, roads, bridges. let's make sure our young people are getting a great education. let's give everyone a chance to get ahead. if we help our communities thrive and their children reach higher, our economy will grow faster. we will regrow the middle class stronger. it will be an american dream achievable for everyone for decades to come. that is what we are fighting for. that is what you are all about here at the sports and here in new orleans.

i'm looking forward -- you here at this port. i'm looking forward to working with you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] waxy discussion on iran, and federal reserve chairman ben bernanke, lawrence summers, and others discover public policy after economic crises. the supreme court heard oral arguments on the practice of opening government meetings with a prayer. greece versus of galloway.