e republican leaders are pushing their people to say we want to repeal this but we have to replace it or else we are going to face a huge backlash because we have taken these benefits. >> the epa ruled recently on the clean air act. does congress get to weigh in on this? i know the republicans are upset with what the administration did , but did they get to do something on this? >> there's going to be legislation and amendments that -- these rules and there was one rule in the waning days of the clinton administration that was a workplace safety rule. role andinalized the then left office and republicans overturned it. that is the only role that congress has been able to overturn. could it happen again? potentially yes. winning issue for

republicans because they can get democrats on their side. one thing that was interesting was that he said was its effect climate change, human activity, that is unclear. >> something he said that offers a preview of how they might run the chamber in the fall if they take over is he alluded that there are some senators, whereatic senators, legislation still need 60 votes to pass. it would be difficult for some democratic senators to oppose that kind of legislation. >> will be fecund moving up the -- will we see him moving up the leadership ranks in the years to come?

>> we could. he is a rising star, no doubt about it. senator brasso has been out has been outasso front, he is one to watch. >> thank you for being with us. , sundays atnew book eight. >> if you want to subsidize housing in this country, and you want to talk about it and the populace agrees that is something we should subsidize, then put it on the balance sheet and make it clear and make it evident and make everybody aware of how much it is costing. but when you deliberate through these third-party enterprises,

when you deliver it through private shareholders and executives who can extract a lot of ups of study for themselves -- subsidy for themselves, and that is not a good way of subsidizing homeownership. our book nowin available at your booksellers. c-span bringsars public events from washington directly to you, putting you in the room at congressional hearings, white house event, briefings, and conferences. in offering complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the u.s. house, all as a public service of private industry. we are c-span, created by the cable tv industry 35 years ago, and brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. watches in hd, like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter. the epapast week

administrator announced a new proposal to cut carbon pollution at existing power plants. the plan aims to cut emissions by 30% within the next 15 years. that would give states flexibility in how they move forward with meeting the goal. this is 30 minutes. [applause] >> it is great to be here. thanks everybody. bob, thank you for accompanying me in and all the leadership you bring to this agency. i wanted to begin by telling you a little bit of a story about a

month ago, i took a trip to the cleveland clinic. i met a lot of really great people. but one person stood out even if he needed to have a stand in a chair to make himself seen while he was talking. he's ten years old. he struggled with severe asthma. his mom said that despite his challenges, he's a tough active kid and a really good hockey player. sometimes she said, the air is too dangerous for him to play outside. in the united states of america, no parent should ever have to have that worry. that's why epa exists. that's our job.

we are directed by our laws and it is reaffirmed by the court that we are here to protect public health in the environment. today, climate change that is fueled by carbon pollution is super charging risks. not just to our health but to our communities, to our economy and to our way of life. that is where epa is delivering on a vital piece of president obama's climate action plan. i want to thank janet mccabe who is our acting assistant administrator. and all of the entire team and teams across epa who worked so hard to deliver this proposal. they should be incredibly proud of their hard work. i know i am incredibly proud of it. [applause]

but today, today epa is proposing a clean power plant that will cut carbon pollution by using clean energy source. although we limit pollutants like mercury, sulfur, currently there are no limits on carbon pollution on power plants. for the sake of our family's health and for our kids future, we have a moral obligation to act on climate. when we do, we'll turn risks of climate into business opportunities. we'll spur innovation in investment and we'll build a world leading clean energy economy. the science is clear, the risks are clear and the high cost of climate inaction keep piling up. rising temperatures bring more

smog, more asthma, longer allergy seasons. if your kid doesn't use an inhaler, you should consider yourself a lucky parent. one in ten kids in the u.s. suffers from asthma. power pollutions from power plants comes packed with dangerous pollutants. they put our children and our families at even more risk. climate inaction is costing us more money in more places more often. 2012 was the second most expensive year in u.s. history for natural disasters. even the larger sectors of our economy buckle under the pressures of a changing climate. when they give way so the businesses that support them and local economies that depend on them. as our seas rise so do insurance

and property taxes and food prices. if we do nothing, temperatures can rise ten degrees and seas can rise four feet. climate change will continue to affect credit risk worldwide. this is not just about disappearing polar bears, although i like polar bears, this is about protecting our health and it is protecting our homes. this is about protecting local economies and it's about protecting jobs. the time to act is now. that's why president obama laid out a climate action plan to cut carbon pollution. to build a more resilient nation and to lead the world in the global fight against climate. today's proposed clean power

plan is a critical step forward. before we put pen to paper, we ask for your advice. our plans were built on that advice from states, cities, businesses, utilities and thousands of people who provided us comment. i want to thank you for that comment. you will see that those comments made a difference. today is about kicking off what he see as a second phase of critical engagement. shaped by public input by present trends by technologies as well as a healthy dose of common sense, our plan aims to cut energy waste and leverage cleaner energy sources by doing two things. first, by setting achievable and enforceable state goals to cut carbon pollution per mega watt hour. second, it's laying out a

national framework that give states the flexibility to chart their own path on how they meet their goals. in 2030 when the states meet their final goals our proposal will result in 30% less carbon pollution from the power sector across the united states in comparison to 2005 level. just to put that in perspective, that's as if we are canceled out the annual carbon pollution from two thirds of carbon trucks in america. if you add up what we actually avoid before 2030 even comes, it's more than double the carbon pollution from every power plant in america in 2012. it double what every power plant in america generated in terms of plosion in -- pollution in 2012.

in 2013 we'll cut pollution significantly that causes smog and soot by 25% or more than if we didn't have this rule in place. that's a great added bonus. all of that means it's going to result in lower medical bills, fewer trips to the emergency room, especially for those most vulnerable. those kids, especially those kids that have asthma. our elderly. this is also about environmental justice. because lower income families and communities of color are at

higehest risk. let me get into the details of the proposal. this plan is all about flexibility. that's what makes it ambitious but also achievable. that's how we keep our energy affordable and reliable. the glue that holds this plan together and the key to making it work is that each state's goal is tailored to its own circumstances. states have the flexibility to reach their goal in whatever way works best for them. to craft state goals. we looked at where states are today and we formed and looked at where they are heading. each state is different so each goal and each path can be different. the goal springs from smart and sensely opportunities that states and businesses are taking advantage of now.

let me tell you about the kind of opportunities that i'm talking about. we know that coal and natural gas they play a significant role today in a diverse energy mix. that this plan does not change that. it recognizes that there are opportunities to modernize aging plants to increase efficiency and to lower pollution. that part of an all of the above strategy. states also have the opportunity to shift their alliance to more efficient and less polluting plans. instead, low carbon sources. there's always the opportunity to shift to no carbon sources. like nuclear, like wind and solar. since 2009, wind energy in america has tripled. solar energy has grown ten-fold. home grown clean energy is posting record revenues and

creating jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. those are all opportunities. what about the plug? existing technologies can squeeze the most out of every electron. helping us use electricity more efficiently in our homes and businesses. more efficiency means that we need less electricity to cool our refrigerators or to charge our phones. for the fuel we burn, let's get the biggest bang for our buck. all of these options are not now ideas. in fact, they're based on proven technology, proven approaches and they're part of the ongoing story of energy progress in the united states of america. our plan doesn't prescribe, it propels already technologies

that are available in the progress that is under way. like i said, there is no one size fits all solution. states can pick from a portfolio of options to meet regional, state and community needs from one dimension in any combination they choose. it's up to states to mix and match to get their goals. if states don't want to go it alone, they can hang out with other states. we can do multistate market based programs. we're doing them today. or, they can be creative and make new ones. more players means more flexibility. when you look at the proposal, you'll see more flexibility means lower costs. state have flexibility not just in the means and the method but

in the time line too. under our proposal, states have to design plans now and they have to start reducing so they can on a trajectory to meet their final goals in 2030. that kind of flexibility means a smooth transition to a cleaner power that doesn't leave any investment opportunities behind. the flexibility of our clean power plant affords the choices that lead them to a healthier future. choices that levels the playing field and keep options on the table. doesn't take them off the table. choices that reflect where they are today and that look to seize the opportunities that are here for us tomorrow. choices that are focused on building up not on shutting

down. so we can raise the common denominator for a cleaner, low carbon economy that will fuel growth for decades to come. what's special about the flexibility of our plan? it doesn't just give states more options. it gives entrepreneurs and investors more options to play too. [applause] it will deliver the certainty that private investment is looking for that will unleash market forces, that will drive even deeper reductions through innovation and investment. it will spur cleaner technologies and power of all sorts. so that we can bring new low carbon technologies to the table. our plan will pull private investment off the shelves and into our clean energy revolution

and send it in every direction not just the one or two that we know about today. because the opportunities are endless. the good news is, state, cities and businesses, already blazed this trail. we are not doing cutting edge work here folks. we are just opening up the door for cutting edge to happen. our clean energy revolution has been unfolding in front of us. just in the past few weeks, i went to salt lake city with a mayor and the utilities are teaming up on building efficiency. i went to st. paul where there was a science center that is recycling energy waste, saving money and it's actually teaching kids what we adults are just beginning to learn.

i've seen fortune 500 companies revamp strategies by meeting the demands of a carbon constrained future. i want to give a shot out to all of the local officials, all of the rural co-ops, all of the public power operators and investor owned utilities that have been leading the charge on climate change. you know who you are. i thank you. it's clear that you act not just because it's reasonable but because it's the right thing to do for the people that you serve. governors and mayors of all stripes are leaning into climate action. they see it not as a partisan obstacle but as a powerful opportunity. we know that success breeds success. those of us who works in states and local governments have seen healthy competition. push states to share ideas and expertise. that is how everybody ends up

winning. epa has had a long standing partnership with states to protect public health. we set goals and states are always in the driver seat to meet them. so releasing the clean power plan actually shifts much of the conversation to the states. if you're a teacher, a scientists, a mechanic, a business person, or just someone who has a good idea, share your thoughts with your state leaders. help them see that they can build a plan that will better all of our futures. i know people are wondering, can we cut pollution while keeping our energy affordable and reliable? sure we can. we can and we will. critics claim that your energy bills will skyrocket. well, they're wrong. [applause] they're wrong. any small short term change in

electricity prices would be with a normal fluctuations, the power sector has already dealt with for years. any small price increase that we see is about the price of a gallon of milk a month. it's dwarfed by the huge benefit. this is an investment in better health and in a better future for our kids. just like these kids here. are they girl scouts? just hanging out? in 2030, the clean power plan will deliver climate and health benefits of up to $90 billion. for soot and smog reduction alone, that means that for every dollar we invest in this plan, families will see seven dollars in direct health benefit. if states are smart about taking advantage of efficiency

opportunities and i know they are, when the effects of this plan are in place in 2030, average electricity bills will be 8% cheaper. that is how you write a rule. [applause] this plan is a down payment we know to be a more efficent 21st century power system. it will cut energy waste, cut pollution and cut cost. think about it like this, we set historic efficiency standards that will double the distance cars go on a gallon of gas. many of you were engaged in that wonderful rule making with d.o.t. that meant you fill up less

often and you saved more money. in the auto industry, that's what it will do for you in the power sector. given the astronomical price that we pay, the thing we can do is nothing. the most costly thing that we can do is to do nothing. the critics are wrong about reliability too. for decades, power plants have met pollution limits without risking reliability. if anything we're threatening reliability and causing blackouts is the devastating extreme weather that we're going to see that is fueled by climate change. i'm a little tired of people pointing to the polar vortex as the reason not to act on climate. it's exactly the opposite. it is a wake up call. climate change heightens risk

from extreme cold that freezes our power grids. super storms that drown our power plants and heat waves that strip our power supply. it turns out efficiency upgrades that slow climate change actually helped cities insulate themselves against blackouts. that's how it works. we know it, they know it. despite all that, i will still for sure see special interest skeptics who are cry that the sky is falling, who will deliberatly over estimate the cost and deliberatly undervalue the benefits. the facts are clear. for four decades, epa has cut air pollution by 70% and the economy has now more than tripled. all the while providing the power we need to keep america

strong. [applause] climate action doesn't actually dull america's competitive edge. it sharpens it. it spurs ingenuity in innovation and investment. in 2011 we exploited more than 30% more cars than we did in 2009. that is the clear sign of a competitive industry. our fuel efficiency standards helped to make that happen. companies like best buy are investing in low carbon operations. bank of america pays its employees to cut carbon pollution because investors see climate risk as business opportunities. this is good news. any business will tell you, eliminating waste, means more money for other things. like hiring employees, corporate climate action is not bells and whistles.

its an all hands on deck call. even without national standards, the energy sector sees the handwriting on the wall. businesses like spectra energy are investing billions of dollars in clean energy. all of this means more jobs, not less. we'll need thousands of american workers in construction, transmission and more to make cleaner power a reality. [applause] you've heard me say this before but it is worth reiterating again. the bottom line is, we have never have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

there's a reason why empty allegations from critics sound a little bit like a broken record. it's because it's the same tired play. from the same special interest playbook that they've been using for decades. in the 1960's, you remember the 1960's, some of you do. when smog choked our cities, critics cried wolf said epa action to put the brakes on the auto production. they were wrong. instead our air got cleaner and our kids got healthier and we sold more cars. thank you to the folks at epa. in the 1990's, critics cried wolf and said fighting acid rain will make electricity go up and our light go out. they said industry would, i quote, die a quiet death.

they were wrong again. industry is alive and well. our lights are still on and we have dramatically reduced acid rain. so time after time when science pointed to health risk, special interests cried wolf to protect their own agenda. not the agenda of the american people. time after time, we followed the science, we protected the american people and the doomsday prediction never came true. now climate change is calling our number. right on to the same critics, once again scare tactics and to meet our moral obligation as stewards of our natural resources. their claims that scientific actions that protect families will somehow flies in the face of history in shows and decided

lack of faith in american ingenuity and entrepreneurship. i don't accept that premise. the president of the united states doesn't accept that premise. we should not accept that premise. we can lead this fight. we can innovate our way to a better future. that's what america does best. yes, our climate crisis is a global problem and it demands a global solution.