e.p.a. from regulating particulate matter emissions from residential barbecues. the e.m.a. last year issued a grant to reduce fine particulate emissions from residential barbecue. the e.p.a. gos a lot of things wrong, especially with this study. barbecue is a term we southerners use for the best pork in north carolina. what they're proposing is reducing emissions from residential propane grills, so they want to stop you and i from grilling outside on our own property. propane is one of the most clean sources of energy out there. regulations that waste our time, money and resources are bad as it is. but they're trying to go as far as restricting our personal freedom. mr. chairman this grant was met with staunch opposition from conservatives and other outdoor enthusiasts like myself. if this isn't part of e.p.a.'s larger goal of regulating grill e-- emissions, it begs the question, why are they wasting our tax dollars on this mind-blowing study in the first place? we've seen their overreach ti

e.p.a.'s efforts to work with other federal agencies to be a sham i can tell you that it does not appear your collaboration with our state agencies has been any better. i would like to enter into the record a letter dated march 17, 2015, where they call on the e.p.a. to retain the existing ozone standard set in 2008 which still has not been fully implemented. >> without objection, so ordered. >> i would also like to point out the effect the change standards will have on the state of illinois and the counties i represent. the center for regulatory solutions released a study shows e.p.a. regulations, the most expensive regulation in history, will cost significant burden not the chicago area economy. as we can see from the slides above with 21 counties out of attainment i'm worried about the overall impact. if you change the second slide you will see how bad this is. we are putting 73% of the state's already fragile g.d.p. at risk. last year illinois enrolled twice as many recipients on snap be

e.p.a. reverses -- if e.p.a. reverses its decision not to regulate coal ash as hazardous material, as they are considering, the cost to floridians could be astronomical because florida's law does not permit hazardous waste land fills. utilities would then be forced to export the ash to neighboring states. the result of which would be higher out of pocket energy costs for my constituents. we can't have that. . overregulating coal combustible products will only serve to hurt the environment and increase the costs to consumers. these are things we should be avoiding not promoting. this legislation will protect jobs and provide certainty to states utilities and businesses that recycle coal combustible products. i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. i yield back. thank you. the chair: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro

e.p.a.'s final rule violates that. from day one, e.p.a. claimed they were not expanding the waters under their jurisdiction but we now know those permits will be required and the final rule is worse than proposed. 27 states have now filed lawsuits challenging the legality of the e.p.a.'s rule. the agency finds itself on shaky legal ground both on process and substance. the language in the bill protects the authority of the states by preventing the e.p.a. from implementing its regulation and expanding its jurisdiction. the language needs to stay in. i urge a no vote on the amendment and i yield time to my friend from idaho mr. simpson. . mr. simpson: everyone assumes that the waters not covered under the clean air act that meaning of the navigable waters, that's the definition they came up somehow, that they're unregulated waters. they are not unregulated waters. they are regulated by the states. when the courts said, navigable waters is kind of a loose term, so you ought to redefine it, the e

the e.p.a. science advisory board reform act, and h.r. 1030, the secret science reform act. i'm pleased to be joined by the science committee's former environment subcommittee chairman representative david schweikert who sponsored the original version of the secret science bill in 2014. the amendment requires the environmental protection agency to base its regulations on publicly available data that can be verified. why would the administration want to hide this information from the american people? we must make sure that federal regulations are based on science that is available for independent review. many americans are unaware that some of the e.p.a.'s most expensive and burdensome regulations such as its po posed climate and ozone rules are based on underlying data that not even the e.p.a. has seen. this amendment ensures that the decisions that affect every american are based on indently -- independently verified research instead of on secret data hidden from the american people. that's cal

e.p.a. has begun to produce a limited number of documents to the committee. however, producing documents in bits and pieces after months or years of delay are not the actions of an open and transparent administration. they are the actions of an agency and however, producing administration that has something to hide. earlier this year, the house passed h.r. 1030, the secret signs reform act. this legislation requires the e.p.a. to base its information on public pli available data. why would the e.p.a. twoont hide this information from the american people? the e.p.a. has a responsibility to be open and transparent with the people it serves and whose money it spends. i hope the administrator will tell us today if she will produce the data and other information the committee has requested. then if she will help the president keep his pledge to maintain an open and transparent information. that concludes my opening statement and the ranking member is recognized for hers. >> e.p.a.'s job is as har

leaving behind an unsightly and dangerous slag pile that is a designated e.p.a. site.if that weren't enough, the town's coast as blighted by three power plants. >> we have the largest remaining coastal wetlands in california, and an ecole onlyicly scientifically - it doesn't exist elsewhere. >> carmen says her community and the wildlife sanctuary suffered long enough. >> they have born the burden for 50 years. we don't have the nicest coast in every way that other cities enjoy. it's time to get our coast back so we can have the same opportunities other beautiful coastal cities have. >> reporter: unlike affluent neighbours, malibu and santa barba, this is a migrant town with business. >> that's where they could live and afford. they were stuck with it. most super fund sites i guaranteed are in poor communities in our country. this is no exception. >> were the people here taken advantage of? >> i think so. >> a former draw brie picker lives in the neighbourhood closest to the dux site. there. >> you think that was the case with most of the people? >> i have no idea. >> h

as such, e.p.a. needs to have the ability to look into criminal activity whether it is illegal dumping of waste, negligent dumping of oil and the illegal transportation or importation of products from other countries by those who would chose to ignore u.s. law. so we can debate the law and what is appropriate but we can't give criminals a free pass toig north law or the laws that reason -- pass to ignore the laws or the laws that are on the books. i'm sorry, i must oppose the amendment and strongly urge my colleagues to do the same. the chair: does the gentleman reserve? mr. calvert: i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves his time. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. >> thank you mr. chairman. with all due respect to my colleague from california, no one is in favor of allowing criminals to commit crimes at any level of federal government. palm palm or any part of the country -- mr. palmer: or any part of the country. i think it should be troubling to

but e.p.a. and the army corps are not in the business of going around and as you're implying and chasing people for this. it really is a matter of trying to provide clarity. the farmers and ranchers i know care about drinking water as much as i do. they are not interested in polluting or destroying it. they are interested in maintaining that for their own benefit and their own kids. this is not an opportunity to do anything more than give them more tools and more certainty in -- and the process will continue to work as it has always worked. >> would you be willing to clarify that in statute? because what you're telling me today is your interpretation of the rule. some day someone else will be in your position. many people throughout the country will be implementing this rule and will have different opinions on that. and even though you say they won't be chasing people around, there is an enforcement obligation that actually does lead them to chasing people around. and so my question is would you

the e.p.a. found that coal ash on the power station had contaminated groundwater with iron manganese aluminum and at least 10 other dangerous chemicals. h.r. 1734 not only fails to protect communities from toxic pollution, it undermines legitimate efforts to protect our communities. i urge my colleagues to vote against it. all of our constituents deserve better. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from west virginia, mr. mooney, is recognized for five minutes. mr. mooney: thank you mr. speaker. few institutions are as powerful and as secret tiff as the federal reserve -- secretive as the federal reserve. they impact the prices at the grocery stores, the ability to get the capital necessary to create jobs and the value of investments the average american relies on to provide for their families, educate their children and enjoy a secure retirement. despite the fed's enormous power, congress continues to allow the fed to conduct monetary polic

and now with the e.p.a. assuming broad new authority over bodies of water in the united states, these farmers are taking more time and resources away from their farm to track these ill-defined regulations coming down the pike. now, america's job creators will tell you the future is uncertain. our rulemaking process is out of the people's control. it needs to be reined in. wouldn't it make since for small business owners to have larger voice, to be given a bigger say in the rulemaking process, especially when regulations can dictate whether their business succeeds or fails? that's exactly what my legislation, the reins act, provides. it gives the job creators and the american people a voice. it injects a measure of accountability back into the democratic process. and the reins act requires that congress must approve any new major rule proposed by the executive branch before it can be enforced on the american people. remember, our small businesses are our nation's economic engine. they represent 99.7% of all n

at one hearing i did ask e.p.a. administrator to come to west virginia and listen to us and she declined. so i brought logan county coal miners to washington to testify before congress. they shared how coal provides good paychecks to support their families and how their worried overregulations will will -- they're would -- they're worried overregulations will put them out of work. i'm working in congress to make sure our miners will be able to provide for their families and that our state still has access to affordable domestic energy. i will continue to fight each and every day. thank you for your leadership. i yield back. mr. mckinley: thank you for your comments. let me add before we go to congressman kely, i just want to add because you talked about education, you know the duke energy plant over in new richmond, ohio cost him $1.5 million out of their school system, out of property taxes, with that closure. you're absolutely right. when we talk about the impact it's going to have on schools and what -- when we s

other e.p.a. emission regulations that were stricter than needed to protect health, gerrymandered to have expensive controls on other types of emissions and prohibited commonsense uses of cheap and safe fuel that could eventually help the environment and the department of transportation regulations that without increasing safety, vastly increased record keeping for ready-mix concrete drivers, unnecessarily limited their hours and suppressed their wages. this is what the reins act will stop not have costly regulation that unless congress stands up to protect the american people, this administration will continue to load onto the backs of struggling american families and small business owners. support the american people, support the reins act. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for general debate has expired. bruent to the rule, the bill -- pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute

can you explain how the e.p.a. incorporate eps changes in the scientific understanding into the rule making process. some of my colleagues have claimed that the science e.p.a. uses for its ozone regulation sess somehow secret. so can you respond to those claims in your own words? and what policies does epa have in place for public review and comment on the science that epa is considering? and you can have the balance of my three minutes to do that. >> thank you. well, the science behind ozone is one of the most robust bodies of science that we have available to us. there are thousands of studies that have been done for decades that have underpinned two ozone standards -- i'm sorry three that the agency has put out and that will adjourn pin our next review. this science is developed using both our office of research and development and our office of air and radiation who work together to present thfgz that they call an inspection science assessment, that they bring to our clean air -- sorry our case ablths that is a

if the e.p.a. continues to push forward for this plan, it will only hurt those who want reliable affordable industry. i encourage the e.p.a. to start from scratch and work with stake holders and partners to create a commonsense plan that strengthens our energy infrastructure and safe forwards our environment. so again, mr. mckinley, i thank you for holding this special order today and mr. speaker this affects a large region of our country. i know you talked about, what it's 400 coal-fired plants across the country? this is important to our economy. you have to have reliable and affordable energy for businesses to grow and create jobs. this clean power plant is going to layer on and strangle our businesses and put people out of work. people across the midwest and my state of ohio. i thank you for doing this tonight. mr. mckinley: thank you very much, thank you for bringing up the rate payer protection act. as you know, after we followed the -- after the supreme court ruled that unconstitutional, you

the e.p.a. finalized a standard that requires a strict reduction in air emissions from electricity generating ute tilts, known as the mercury and air toxic standards rule and make many of the rules from the e.p.a., the cost of this regulation is great and the benefits are very limited. e.p.a. estimates the rule will create between $500,000 and $6 million in benefits. that sounds like a lot of money. but related to the mercury reductions the cost is $10 billion annually. $10 billion annually for a return of $500 to $6 million, that's a pretty big range and there probably isn't a lot of calculation into how that came into with being or much transparency to see how it came about. that $10 billion annual cost will be to the consumers of electricity. those are costs that aren't allowed to be recouped. many of those have already been put in place they become part of the rate base and under most of the laws dealing with utilities, they're allowed to make a return on that. so there wouldn't be a huge pr

the e.p.a.'s claim that this rule would just let it stop construction activities that disturb small environmentally sensitive streams and weapons but when you dive into the rule's 299 pages you'll find that it actually expands the e.p.a.'s authority to roughly 60% of all waters of the united states including irrigation ditches, stock ponds and even dry desert washes. this is bad news for arizona agriculture and home-building sectors which combined account for most of all economic activity in my state. if a farmer wants to build or repair a canal the e.p.a. could block it. a community that wants to build a school or a church near a dry wash will have to beg e.p.a.'s permission. the e.p.a. can even go after property owners if the agency thinks water historically flowed across their land, even when there's no visible evidence. ultimately, water is the last thing the e.p.a. will be worried about once their clean water rule becomes effective. they will be drowning in lawsuits. another proposed rule by

this doesn't give the e.p.a. the discretion this doesn't give the obama administration the discretion to regulate carbon pollution, it requires that they do. so the only question is not a legal one. the legal one has been settled. the e.p.a. is required to regulate under the clean air act pollution. the only question then remaining is is carbon a pollutant? and i don't thinks there anybody -- there's anybody credible in this space who doesn't think that carbon is a pollutant. we're making progress over the last six to 12 months. we have seen a sea change among republican members of congress who are i think increasingly concerned about being on the wrong side of history about being on the wrong side of science, on the wrong side of a whole generation of young voters republicans and democrats, and independents, one of the challenges of our generation. we're seeing some movement, some openness to at least concede this problem in fact exists exists. this problem, in fact, exists. we have this incredible law in the cl

the e.p.a. and the department of interior and any of its agencies from requiring mandatory donations to third party groups as part of any settlement agreements the agencies enter into. agencies across the government settlement funds are being funneled to third party groups, contravening congressional budget authority. a recent investigation found as much as half a billion dollars had been diverted by the department of justice to third parties as a result of these settlements in the past year. this is inexcusable and it is not unique. at the department of interior, the environmental protection agency and u.s. official and wildlife service routinely sue and then enter into business -- settlements with businesses and individual whors forced to make donations to groups. this is because community service is aloud under the code. this results in settlement funds being directed to supposed community service groups that practice that must be brought to an end. as thomas jefferson once wrote, to compel a

it was the e.p.a. case of this year where it didn't exactly strike down these toxic emissions regulations. it did say that they had adopted them improperly by not considering costs but it didn't -- it said they don't have to go back and do a whole cost benefit analysis. so they sort of sent it back to the lower court. and i think until the lower court acts it's a little hard for any of us to know exactly what by not considering costs but it didn't -- it said they don't have to go back and do a whole cost benefit analysis. so they sort of sent it back to the lower court. and i think until the lower court acts it's a little hard for any of us to know exactly what that decision means for those regulations. >> and the other thing about that one. we had to worry about that. lawrence hurley who was writing it had to figure out how much you -- what kind of a blow it struck for these regulations and the majority itself said exactly what bob was just repeating. that they weren't actually striking them down. tha

in december, he wrote to the e.p.a. that their plan would be -- quote -- a blow to wisconsin residents and business owners. in january he announced that he was planning to sue the agency instead. maybe governor walker would think differently if he had listened to wisconsin business owners. lori compas, executive director of the wisconsin business alliance endorsed the e.p.a.'s clean power plan proposal as a boon a benefit to the wisconsin economy. here's what she said. i'll quote her -- encouraging renewable energy development will result in business growth, job creation, cleaner air and a quicker path to energy independence. that's what she wrote. i'll continue. she said our society doesn't have to decide whether our policy should favor jobs or the environment. we should look for opportunities to promote jobs and the environment, and the clean power plan is a great way to do that. that's the wisconsin business alliance speaking. and those wisconsin businesses are also not alone. they are not alone. 13 of the largest co

this is an appropriate role for the e.p.a. it is an appropriate role for noaa to do the monitoring because they have satellites to help us monitor what's happening on lake erie and other fresh water supplies. this is a critical piece of legislation. it was introduced in the house by congressman bob latta supported on a bipartisan basis in the house. they have already passed in the house of representatives. they passed it in february. it passed by an overwhelming vote of 375-37. if it came over here to the senate where sherrod browning an i had drafted legislation on this -- we were just talking about this legislation -- our legislation, we not only put into the process we put it into the process here to begin the process of getting it cleared by democrats and republicans back in march. so far four and a half months we've been trying to clear this legislation. this week i learned that the legislation is cleared that nobody has any substantive concerns with it. we can finally move forward with it. we need this help and we node w

like republican senator jeff sessions questioning e.p.a.istrator geena mccarthy. >> would you acknowledge that over the last 18 years, that the increase in temperature has been very little, and that it is well below most of the environmental models that showed how fast temperature would increase. >> no, i would not agree with that. a 1 degree temperature is significant. >> carbon pollution is co2, it's not a pollutant. it's a plant food. it doesn't harm anyone, except temperature increases. >>> that senator is not alone. >> as we hear, 2014 has been the warmest year on record. do you know what this is? it's a snowball. and that is from outside here. so it's very, very cold out. >> i'm not a scientist. i'm not qualified to debate the science over climate change. >> i'm not a scientist, and i don't claim to be. >> i'm not a scientist either. but you know what, i know a lot of really good scientists, at n.a.s.a., and noah, and at our major universities. >>> topping obama's list of experts is dr john holdren director of the office of science an

the e.p.a.s the burning plastic has not caused health hazards at this time but did ask residents to keep the acs off until the smoke clears. officials have to wait for the fires to be fully out before they can investigate what exactly caused it. good news is nobody was hurt. >>> this story right here is getting a lot of attention on our website and our facebook page. america's youngest murderer is possibly spending his last week behind bars. curtis jones and his sister katherine admitted to killing their father's girlfriend in florida back in 1999. katherine was 13, curtis was 12 and they have been in prison ever since. now, the siblings also planned to kill their father and another relative over claims that they were sexually abused. well, curtis is now 29, he's set to walk free next week and his sister will follow next month but they both face lifetime probation and any minor slip-up could send them right back to jail. >>> the same jurors who convicted james holmes are back in court to figure

who knows, the e.p.a., the t.s.a. the f.a.a. the usda. i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation. don't walkerize the

this past april the e.p.a. released yet another rule aimed at coal by mandating new standards for the disposal of storage of coal combustion residuals. as a result of this proposal, the house considered and passed h.r. 1734, the improving coal combustion residuals regulation act of 2015. this legislation codifies the final proposal rule while giving flexibility to the states to implement. specifically, h.r. 1734 will allow states to create and enforce their own coal ash recycling permit programs. it also sets up enforceable state permit programs while utilizing the e.p.a.'s minimum requirements that will protect jobs. states also have the option to make their requirements more stringent than the e.p.a.'s final rule if they choose. i strongly support and was happy to vote for h.r. 1734 and the responsible use of coal and coal ash. mr. speaker, recently i visited the research natural area of the allegheny national forest. this old growth area is home to many 600-year-old hem lock trees. -- hemlock trees. during t

the e.p.a. is political. republican, they can get democrat, depending who the president is. >> when they say fracking a safe, you are cool with that. >> i'm not sure that they said it. they said it's not as gaming... >> you are fine with that. epa. >> the debate is political, it's about lobby, money, people. >> isn't the science supposed to rise above. >> when we are intelligent. yes. if there's a question where we have something to do, whether it's the drought in california, or floods in houston, shouldn't we air on the side of caution? >> we should air on side of caution and learn about the science as much as we can. >> there's legitimate studies, not the ones you trump out. you can find a study for etch. >> who is running it. i'm asking that question. who is funding the studies. at the end of the day all the studies, that you are citing, that imran is citing are coming from government funded science. that doesn't make them wrong. >> billions and billions of dollars are spent to advocate an alarmist positio

the e.p.a. is testing water air and soil samples near knoxville tennessee.thing is looking pretty good right now. noxious fumes sending more than 80 people to the hospital. the cows of texas is still under investigation. >> finding a place to live in san francisco is tough the prices high, the houses scarce. new homes are being built but some of the land where the houses are under construction could be contaminated. we are joined live from treasure island in san francisco bay. what lice beneath? >> the sights are former naval bases that had radioactive material. no questions the beauty of this coastal property, but some are questioning the plan to build housing here. >> san francisco's housing prices is so significant that the near completion of just 88 new don doughs is notable. eventually, plans call for 20,000 units above and along the san francisco bay. not everyone is celebrating. >> so there is a shortage of affordable housing in the city. is this one of the answers? >> no. no. i can emphatically say no. >> marie harrison with the green action group ad

we have done everything we can to stop the e.p.a. from imposing its clean water rule, which is very tough on our farmers in particular but in people all over this country. we have challenged again the obamacare in court with the u.s. house of representatives versus burwell lawsuit and we hope for arp positive result from that. which also are continuing our investigations into other scandals of this administration, including the situation in benghazi. last fall, house investigators learned that former secretary of state hillary clinton used a private email server located in her home rather than an official email account and failed to preserve her eye mails the speaker pro tempore: without the diligent work on the select committee on benghazi, this email arrangement would have remained secret. because of the deposition a former aid to bill clinton they demonstrated that despite her assertions to the contrary she did not produce all of her official emails to the state department. the select committee is depotsing firnls including clinto

in place after a train derailed and burst into flames. 5,000 residents unable to return home until e.p.at 75 people treated for possible chemical exposure. >>> the key sticking point in nuclear talks. iran is rejecting rule that is the west is demanding saying the u.n. standard is enough. they are threatening to ramp up bomb enrichment. they hope to reach an agreement by the new self-imposed deadline next tuesday. >>> the sister of the confessed gunman in the charleston church massacre is getting backlash. she was supposed to get married four days after her brother shot them. she is taken the page down after receiving harsh feedback. >> that was an insensitive move tone deaf move. she was saying my dream day was ruined, please help me. our dream honeymoon had to be postponed. well nine people's lives were ended. >>> how will the weather cooperate for your fourth of july celebrations? let's get to metologist chad myers. how is it looking? >> that depends on where you are. thousands of lightning strikes overnight. part of a frontal system that will sneak up to d.c. for tomorrow. here is th

army corps of engineers and you see the e.p.a. out there talking about the importance of wetlands and the importance of watters of the united states and writing all these extraordinary rules. to grant themselves more aggressive jurisdiction. larger jurisdiction over our private lands. yet, as a result of those storms alone in 2005, we lost over 200 square miles of coastal wetlands in the state of louisiana alone. mr. speaker, i'll say again a lot of people looked at this, watched it on tv, and saw it as being a parochial problem, a problem of the gulf coast a problem of louisiana, mississippi, and alabama. mr. speaker, you could cut and paes that situation you could paste virtually any other coastal city any other coastal state in this nation and they potentially could face the same repercussion the same outcomes as we experienced in 2005 because this nation continues to have a reactive policy to disaster. and it's something we've got to change. we could have take then 100-plus billion dollars that congress appropriated following

can you explain how the e.p.a. incorporates changes in the scientific understanding into the rule-making process? some of the colleagues have claimed that the science epa uses for its ozone regulations is somewhat secret. so can you respond to those claims in your own words? and what policies does epa have in place for public review and comment on the science that epa is considering? and you can have the balance of my three minutes to do that. >> thank you. well, the science behind ozone is one of the most robust bodies of science that we have available to us. there are thousands of studies that have been done for decades that have underpin two ozone standards -- i'm sorry three that the agency has put out and that will underpin our next review. this science is developed using both our office of research and development and our office of air and radiation who work together to present information that they call an independent science assessment that they bring to our clean air -- sorry, our case act, clean air scien

while we've been on this floor for years in an intense often partisan debate over pipelines and the e.p.a.'s rules on coal-fired power plants, forest conservation is an area where we have always had strong bipartisan support. as forests are cut down, two things happen. first, carbon stored in trees is released. and second, the trees stop absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. each year the world loses forests the size of ohio and that rate is increasing. unless we act an area twice the size of texas will be lost by the year 2030. of course most deforestation is happening in tropical forests in the amazon, the congo river basin and southeast asia. but global demand, including demand from the united states, for palm oil soy beef and timber products greatly contribute to forest loss in these regions. this is why the united states has to lead in stopping deforestation. there are three things that we can do. first, we've got to fully implement and fund the lacey act. this law prohibits the import of illegally harvested wood products but has only been in place since 2008 and congress hasn't give

it is the -- it's the overregulation by the e.p.a. and they'll single out the waters of the united states bill or rule that they're trying to put through. i recall so vividly just a few years ago when the two members authored bills to take the word "navigable" out. so i'm sure that there are some who have forgotten the fact that the -- the regulation of water in the united states has always been the states. and except for november gabble water. and i understand that. -- and fept for -- and except for the navigable water. and i understand that. what the liberals tried to do is take the word "navigable" out so the states would have no say in the water that's out there. not only did we defeat the legislation but both senator feingold and congressman oberstar who were both authors of the bill, were both defeated in the next election. it's the overregulation that's rule consuming most of our time. this is the area where everyone agrees. i was listening to our friend from -- from -- i can't remember who was talking about that now. you have

involved so many different interests involved, whether it's army corps of engineers usgs whether it's e.p.a., whether it's state and federal regulations. i'm just talking about the federal side here. what american municipal power wanted was to be able to get something done in a predictable way and to have somebody be accountable. we liked that idea so we moved forward with this legislation providing more accountability. we also heard from bard energy. they had plans to bill a $6 billion synthetic fuels plant in ohio. it would not only convert coal into clean diesel and jet fuel. it would also create, we were told up to 2,500 jobs. this is in a part of eastern ohio where those jobs are so valuable, so precious. they couldn't do it at the end of the day because the permitting delays and the lawsuits that they got so interfered with the project that their capital left. it wasn't patient enough to wait around for all the delays, all the potential lawsuits, all the problems. again, from them we learned well let's have accountability, one agency responsible. but also let's look at this issue of n

the e.p.a. is threatening to take this energy advantage and make it a disadvantage. the e.p.a. is currently trying to further regulate the byproduct of natural gas production, that of methane gas. the e.p.a. unthe obama administration is at its worse. the obama administration mission is clear, if it is not a green energy source that he likes, it should not exist. mr. meadows: and obama has proven he la use the e.p.a. to do all he can to make it more difficult and expensive for american families to utilize this incredibly wonderful source of natural gas that we have here in america. lower energy prices for americans. and we have also helped the environment. so i would urge all of my colleagues to join me in opposing the burdensome mandates that will unnecessarily hinder the natural gas production of the united states and thereby dismantling and diminishing the energy advantage that we have today. i yield back. senator santorum: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman

if we do not act, the e.p.a. will replace the existing successful state-based regulatory program with harmful new regulations that will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and result in billions of dollars in burdensome costs for job creators. the house will also consider h.r. 1599, the safe and accurate food labeling act sponsored by representative mike pompeo. this bipartisan bill will ensure uniformed national labeling of foods from genetically engineered plants, by addressing the patchwork of conflicting labeling laws, we will fix the growing problem of inconsistent and confusing information for consumers. . finally, the house is expected to consider the conference report for the fiscal year 2016 national defense authorization act, and i thank the gentleman and yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for his information with respect to the legislation for next week. as the gentleman knows we have now passed six appropriation bills. last week consider of the interior bill was postponed. it the gentleman an

the e.p.a.'s national ozone standard. a recent analysis found the cost of this one regulation to be upwards of $140 billion. it will cost my home state of georgia over 11,000 jobs. to add insult to injury, the first line of h.r. 427 statement of administrative policy states, the administration is committed to ensuring that regulations are smart and effective and tailored to further the statutory goals and most effective and efficient manner. this is the statement from the administration on why they oppose h.r. 427. i cannot believe that a single regulation promulgated by this administration with $140 billion of cost was put forward in the most cost-effective manner. a regulation costing 11,000 jobs in georgia alone is hardly smart. the statement of administration policy also claims that underlying legislation will create business uncertainty. i encourage this administration to use the infamous pen and phone to ask business what is creates uncertainty for them because when small businesses across the country came to congre

by the time you get to the e.p.a., the u.s. fish and wildlife and the whole litany of others that are in the way of doing things that could be done with good environmental stewardship at the same time as developing the resources that people in this country still need. they still need oil they still need gas, they still need paper products. heaven knows that we use paper products in this country. we do it more responsibly than anywhere else in the world yet, these wilderness designations, these monuments, they don't really seek to protect anything. they make it off-limits to all americans. even if you just want to go in for hiking or hunting or a little off-roading, and indeed those that would develop the resources this is so absurd it even has made it difficult for fire suppression in our forested areas for our various fire agencies to go do the job they need to do. to have the roads and areas so they can attack the fires that are needed and even worse so as we've seen what happened with the loss of life of illegal immigrants i

this week we passed an energy bill that the president threatened to veto to protect e.p.a.'s power and we're finalizing a defense bill that the president threatened to veto to protect his plan to bring terrorists to american soil. on benghazi, the select committee continues its efforts to hold the administration accountable. by refusing to comply with all relevant requests for documents, secretary clinton and the state department are actually prolonging this investigation. because the state department, their refusal to comply, the committee has called secretary kerry's chief of staff to testify next week. four americans lost their lives in this terrorist attack. their families and fellow citizens deserve to see all of the facts. it's not too much to ask nor frankly, is it too much to expect from our government. on iran, we've come to learn about two secret side deals regarding the regime's nuclear program. these pertain to key issues such as iran's past nuclear activities and access to the military facility. congress and the american people have a right and an obligation to

rather than hold a vote on the pro-confederate flag amendment, house leadership pulled the interior e.p.a. spending bill from the floor on thursday. later in the day house minority leader nancy pelosi offered a resolution that would have required the mississippi state flag to be removed from the capitol because mississippi's flag includes the confederate flag. >> mr. speaker, pursuant to rule 9 i rise in regard to a question of the privileges of the house and i send to the desk a privileged resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: raising a question of privileges of the house. whereas at 4:00 p.m. today, july 9, the governor of south carolina will sign legislation to remove the display of the confederate battle flag. whereas on december 20, 1860, south carolina became the first state to secede from the union. whereas on january 9, 1861, mississippi seceded from the union stating in its declaration of immediate causes that our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery, the greatest material interest of the world. whereas

and e.p.a. have seen their budgets cut in response to egregious executive overreach. . mandatory spending. it is on auto pilot mandatory spending does not require annual appropriations from congress. as long as someone meets the requirements, these programs dole out money. within these means-based entitlement program like medicaid, obamacare, food stamps and the like. in fiscal year 2012, the federal government spent almost $800 billion on over 92 programs aimed at lifting americans out of poverty. despite that record spending, americans stopped looking for work. the system is failing the very people it was designed to help. while these programs have good intentions, they aren't supposed to be permanent. these programs are supposed to lift people out of poverty and not keep them there. it shouldn't be surprised during the recent economic downturn spending ballooned. what is springing if the economy has improved, the spending on this program have not gone down. spending remains at all-time high. republicans and democrats both agree that americans shouldn't be stuck in po

with rules such as waters of the united states and the clean power plan from e.p.a., this administration continues to trample on the rights of our citizens and states while hurting our economy along the way. that is why i was pleased to co-sponsor legislation to have 70 legislative days to review any rules with an economic impact over $100 million and ensures congress has oversight before any major rule goes to the president for a signature. by allowing congress to review these rules, we can restore accountability and the power of legislating to the legislative branch. i thank my colleagues in the house for passing this important legislation and call on those in the senate to take swift action to reduce regulatory overreach. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gallego: mr. speaker on august 6 we will celebrate the anniversary of the voting rights act of 1965. mr. speaker, this landmark law

and it's something that is -- it just in my committee -- just look at what the e.p.a. is doing to harm businesses that are trying to outdo the american thing and hire people out there. you have all of these eliminations aring that coming online. you have the water regulation. this is kind of interesting because historically, the regulation over water has always been a state function, with the exception of navigable waters. the you want to understand that. i think everyone else understands it. but there are the collectivists, the liberals that want to bring all that power into washington and away from the states. in my state of oklahoma we do a lot better job than the federal government does. so we have been in our position to be able to continue to have that regulation of water as a state function. so about five years ago senator feingold of the senate and congressman oberstar -- they're from wisconsin and minnesota -- they introduced a bill to take the word "navigable" out, which means then the federal government would have regulation of all waters. you know, we have