now the court has ruled against epa but epa continues and it's troubling to waste the taxpayers dollars to defend an indefense possible that's bad for the economy and inconsistent with the principles of law. fwheed know the rules of the load and the regulators have an obligation to provide a clear and transparent process to follow. congress and the judicial system must make sure the epa exercises only the authority it has and not the authority it wishes it has. thank you. >> thank you for your testimony. >> good morning. my name is ross eisenberg. i want to discuss what the retroactive veto did. manufacturers really need predictability from the regulatory process. they must understand the rules of the road so they can be responsible informed i vestment decisions. this lack of predictable is the problem that we're here to discuss today. it's the main reason that other organizations found it necessary to enter this litigation against epa. the spruce mine veto was a $250 million decision by epa that created a $220 billion problem. let's talk first about the 250 million. arch poll planned t

it is intended for use by epa permit riders under the uic program and will be applicable where epa is directly responsible for the uic class two program. we're taking public comments on the draft through july 9th and welcome comments from all aff t affected parties and the public. the agency has also initiated efforts under the clean water act to provide regulatory clarity and protection to risks to water quality. in october 2011 epa announced a schedule to develop pretreatment standards for waste water discharges produced by natural gas extraction from underground cold bed and shale formations. in addition, epa is assisting state and federal permitting authorities in the marcellus shale region by answering technical questions concerning the treatment and disposal of waste water from shale gas extraction. the epa has also been conducting research to better understand the impact of drink iing on wat resources, and that's through our office of research and development. in conclusion, activities relate ed to hydraulic fracturing help assure that public health and water quality remain pro

our brief, but now the court has ruled against epa, but epa continues and it is troubling to waste the taxpayers' dollars to defense an indefensible policy that is prance parentally bad for the economy and inconsistent with the principles of law. business can and should adhere to laws and regulations governing its industry, but we need to know the rules of the road and the regulators have an obligation to provide a clear and transparent process to follow. congress and the judicial system must ensure that epa exercises only the authority it has and not the authority it wishes it has. nothing less than the integrity of our commercial economy is at stake. thank you. >> thank you for your testimony, miss harbert and mr. eisen, you may begin. >> good morning, ranking member holt and members of the subcommittee. i'm vice president of energy and resources policy at the national association of manufacturers. i'm very pleased to come before the subcommittee today to discuss spruce mine and section 404 permit and what the retroactive veto of that permit did and the impact that had on manufacture

epa is in the -- clean water act. manufacturers are concerned that the guidance is legislative in nature and could significantly impact regulatory certainty by subjecting a wide range of traditionally in trust state waters to clean water act jurisdiction and permitting. moreover by doing this dramatic policy shift from guidance rather than by regulations or the regulatory process, manufacturers feel that epa is circumventing a lot of the regulatory safeguards to protect the -- economic impact statements and job loss analysises and impact to smaller businesses. in addition epa is on the verge of taking another 404 action in this the spruce mine case. this time it looks like it will issue a pre-emptive -- if the project were to move forward, it could attract several billion dollars of investment in countless manufacturing jobs, but the epa's taking the position that it can say no to this project even before the application for permit has been filed. i would like to say that this -- uncomfortable with the scope of its au

communities -- return of that epa decision. this hearing from earlier this month is chaired by colorado congressman doug lamborn. >> the committee will come to order. the chairman notes the presence of a quorum of committee member 3-e is two members. the subcommittee on energy resources is meeting today to hear testimony on obama administration's actions against the spruce coal mine, cancelled permits, lawsuits and lost jobs. under committee rule 4-f4-f--i unanimous consent to -- close of business today, hearinging no objection, so ordered. i also ask unanimous consent to have david mcconnell's -- to participate in today's hearing. no objection, okay, so ordered. i now recognize myself for five minutes. today we will hear an update on the ongoing legacy that is the spruce coal mine in logan county in west virginia. this saga is one of the most disappointing legacies of federal bureaucracy in american history. this is the story about how one agency, obama's environmental protection agency, can attempt to retroactively pull permi

they learn from the epa and build on the science. and unfortunately chose not to be here or stay focused on why you're here. permit was given. and if what i'm told they say they want to revoke it because i believe the science, they felt there was no science that would cause that to be considered, miss gunnoe, to try to give an analogy for you, if in your house you probably have plywood in your house, your drywall perhaps, are you aware that the epa is considering changing the standard on the resin used in plywood to such a level to have a tenth of a part per million and if they do make that change, would you -- how would you feel after you've been given a permit, they knock on your door and say, you have to leave your home because we've changed the standard and that house is no longer within standard? would you leave your house willingly? >> i absolutely thought. if i thought my house was making me sick, i would leave. >> and if i can reclaim my time, the same thing with concrete. in your house you have in your concrete and the epa i

right now epa has not done this. they are performing a watershed assessment, but they seem increasingly likely to do it at the conclusion of this assessment. i noted in my testimony that environmental groups have started asking for watershed assessment similar to that of the great lakes region. >> it's the same thing as what happened in the spruce mine. if you take away the specification on the way to fill then you can't do it. you're essentially, and epa admitted it, you're essentially vetoing the project which is the responsibility of the army corps. so it could have wide ranging application and i certainly am committed to look at it. >> do you think we'll need less copper, nickel, iron in the next 20 years in this country. speaking on behalf of them, absolutely not. we'll need more of it. >> do you think we harvest our minerals in this country at a higher standard than they are harvested around the world such as the environmental impact of the global environment? >> i am certain that we do. >> it just seems to me

but that permit after being issued was withdrawn by the epa. the obama administration's war on coal can be felt throughout the country. east, west, appalachian, logan county, west virginia, and farmington, new mexico. americans should be deeply concerned with this trend and the administration's ongoing effort to retroactively pull permits, destroy jobs, and hurt the economy. today we'll hear from folks interested in talking about other topics than the addition regard for the law as dem strait itted by the epa in this instance. there will be distractions about water quality and the general process of mining. none of that is the topic of today's hearing. today is about a reckless administration and an agency that believes it is above the law as they crusade against domestic jobs and domestic energy. i will now recognize the ranking member from new jersey, representative holt, for five minutes for his opening statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mountain top removal mining can be one of the most destructive practices on earth for the health of l

by epa or by some other group? for instance, petroleum distillates, that could be just about anything that's a petroleum product. >> it's got a specific cast number that doesn't come from the agency. it's called crude oil/diesel fuel. kerosene is marine diesel fuel. so all six of them are diesel fuel, and that's where we got the six cast numbers from, is from that. and so that's where our proposed definition, we are taking comment on that. we feel like it's a very clear definition because it links specifically to those six cast numbers. >> um, i, i'm second guessing whether congress in 2005, of course, i was not in congress in 2005, none of us on this panel were, but i'm second guessing where congress in 2005 was considering crude oil a diesel fuel or as broad as petroleum distillates as a diesel fuel. that's a very broad definition. and that is the concern there, that this suddenly seems to reach out with a met and to be able to snag everything in it. one other quick comment, then i want a chance to share some add

epa has taken the position that they can do it pre-emptively. it has a lot of folks worried about it in the same -- at the same company and same industries that were impacted by this design decision. right now the epa has not done this. they are performing a watershed assessment. i know that environmental groups have already started using a watershed agreement and if you take away the specification to actually fill, then you can't do t you're essentially vetoing the project which really is the responsibility of the army corps. so it could have wide ranging application. >> do you think we're going to needless copper, nickel, iron in the next 20 years in this country? >> speaking on behalf of nam, absolutely not. we're going to need more of it. >> do you think we harvest our materials in this country at a higher standard than harvested around the world as far as the environmental impact of the global environment? >> i am certain that we do. >> it just seems to me that keeping the jobs here in america and better environmental quality for the globe

by epa or by some other group? for instance, petroleum distillates, that could be just about anything that's a petroleum product. >> it's got a specific cas number that it doesn't come from the agency. it's called crude oil/diesel fuel. kerosene is marine diesel fuel. so all six of them are diesel fuel. and that's where we got the six cas numbers from, is from that. and so that's where our proposed definition, we are taking comment on that. we feel like it's a very clear definition, because it links specifically to those six cas numbers. >> i am second guessing whether congress in 2005 -- of course, i was not in congress in 2005. none of us were -- on this panel were. but i'm second guessing where congress in 2005 was considering crude oil a diesel fuel, or as broad as petroleum distillates, as a diesel fuel. that's a very broad definition. and that is the concern there that this suddenly seems to reach out with a net to be able to snag everything in it. one other quick comment i want to get a chance to share addit

the epa represent some of the last remaining resources. the epa has concluded this mine will quote transform these head water streams from high quality habitat into sources of pollutants. since the bush administration approved it in 2007, which may have been unwise then, additional nch additional information has become available which reflect a growing consensus of ahead water streams and a growing concern. we increasingly understand the affects the impact that this sort of mining has on our environment and on the health of local communities. this morning scientific understanding of the impacts of this mine and others like it, i beg your pardon, this mounting uning of the impacts led the epa to withdraw the personalities for filling the streams under the clean water act. the coal company, a subsidiary of arch coal challenged the epa decision. epa has ae peeled this decision and agreed to an expedited schedule to resolve the appeal and remove any uncertainty that, for example, the chair reversed. the majority may claim that the epa's effort

the business community was set back by the decision by the epa. they were overjoyed to see the justice system step in and say they were overreaching authority, but at the same time now we have epa overreaching their authority in alaska and preemptively perhaps rejecting a project that has not gone to final decision. we are seeing scary signs on the wall to the business community and they want to figure out a way out of this. >> but there is -- this question is for mr. eisenberg. is there a statutory authority that the epa has to retro actively revoke permits some. >> absolutely not. they don't even have the authority to issue the permit. they can only deal with the specification of where to put the fill. under 404 c. >> senator, i have been to appalachia and i helped to go and repair and renovate homes for economically disadvantaged people in your part of the world. i can tell you, it is an economically depressed area and the last thing i think would be appropriate to have epa bureaucrats that are not accountable and now look at the way the gsa re

has only whispered that corrections when science proved the additional epa assertion invalid. this all happened while continuing to issue a stream of regulations affecting hydraulic fracturing before the current federally mandated study has even been completed. epa administrator jackson stated under oath before this subcommittee there is not a single documented case where hydraulic fracturing has contaminated groundwater. this positive report and this record is due in part to the physics there is another chart that i want to be able to put up there. fracking activity takes place a mile and sometimes well more, more than a mile below the aquifer line. and through several layers of rock, i might add. but it's also due to an effective and comprehensive state regulatory regime. regulators and the energy resource states like oklahoma, my state, pennsylvania, utah, north dakota, texas work closely with all interested parties, industry and environmentalists alike to develop a regulatory regime that is responsive to advancements in industry while protecting the environment at the same

from epa a single site of ground water contamination from ground water fracking. >> i believe the epa probably told you is that they were not aware of a single case where the action of the fracking led to water contamination. there are multiple publicly known cases where there's water contamination associated with the development of shale gas or other types. >> you're talking about from the surface? >> no. including from wells. there's a documented incidence of at least 1% perhaps up to 6% of well failure. >> here's what i know typically. there have been some very public cases of this from the epa in the past year and half. the epasses they begin testing the wells and later that was just methane that's naturally occurring. it's migrating into an area. a chemical that was present there. most recently on may 11th of this year in pennsylvania epa quietly released what was initially a panic to say that frac fluids have caused all this they've come back and said we were wrong. that was not a source of that. there has been a shift that occurred here. let me move on to a couple of areas as w

there is a striking rebuke to the epa overreach. it is unreasonable to sew a lack of uncertainty into a system which was intended to provide finality. at the onset of this case, the epa sought to silence its critics by objecting to the filing of our brief. now the court has ruled against the epa but it continues. it is troubling to waste the taxpayers' dollars. it is transparently bad for the economy and inconsistent with the principles of law. business can and should explain industry. we need to know the rules of the road and the regulators have an obligation to provide a clear and transparent process to follow. congress and the judicial system must confirm that the epa uses only the authority it has and not the authority it wishes it has -- nothing less than the integrity of the archive -- of our economy is at stake. >> f. thank you for your testimony. -- thank you for your testimony. mr. eisenberg, you may begin. >> thank you. good morning. my name is ross eisenberg. i am vice president of the national association of manufacturer

but in fact, the epa called the report outstanding. and they may even use it to address national selenium standards. when interview requests to the epa were ignored i headed to their offices to see how they could overlook a two headed fish. hi. i would like to talk to somebody about the spokey canyon mines. >> where are you from. >> i'm from a river up in -- >> no, no, what company are you from. >> i'm not with a company, i'm from a two headed fish. >> i called the police because i don't appreciate you way you are getting in our face. >> i can't really make an appointment. i'm a two headed fish. i live in a river. >> you're not a fish. you are a person. >> why would the epa call homeland security. i needed answersment but everywhere i went no one would talk. what is this? simplot run this whole state. literally every single place i went in idaho there was simplot. so i looked them up. and they're one of the largest privately held agribusiness companies in the world. the government of idaho worked for simplot for 30 years and married jr

epa, i'm sorry. >> but this story is about the epa. >> she just gave you the look. >> i did give youthis is about cow manure. >> next is they are using these things now to supposedly aid police departments in certain areas. they have hundreds of these missions going on. its unconstitutional. it's using spy planes that by the way are controlled by the military. >> let me tell you one other thing they are worried about. this will fit right into your conspiratorial world. is the epa sharing this information with any groups that might want to shut town farming or animal welfare groups or things like that? >> bob, may i? >> eric. >> there are a lot of people who think there's a whole social engineering going on in the white house. there's the agenda 21 from the white house and the white house rural council. they are gathering information to bring people closer to the cities. a lot more eyeballs they can keep on them, a lot more efficient sis in the water. >> that was somebody from one of the groups, one of the farming groups that said he actually saw some of the pictures and it alayed his

district judge amy jackson found that the epa's actions were not justified by the statues.uch a starch projection by the courts, the obama administration is committed to war on coal and is appealing this decision. this appeal will consume tax dollars and time in our courts and for what? to destroy good, important jobs for americans? that is the goal of this administration appeal. the want to destroy jobs and expand the power of the epa to a extralegal new power to revoke permits. we certainly hear discussions about certainty and how domestic investment require certainty in order for investors to create jobs. should the administration when this case and grant the epa the power to retroactively revoke permits, it would destroy all certainty in permitting for prices crossed the united states. this would be terribly destructive for the american economy. unfortunately, this permit is not the only one the epa has withdrawn that has cost jobs and destroyed the livelihood of hard-working americans. in 2009, the epa with to the permit issued to the desert rock and is a plant on the

obama is using the epa to go after drilling in west texas. as the solicitor gen dwral in texas i stood up and argued the endangered species act was unconstitutional as it applied to an arroyo toad that had never crossed state lines. >> thank you. >> we need a fighter who hasn't just talked but walked the walk. >> thank you. richard, are you satisfied with their answers? >> good answer, thank you. >> shelley? >> thank you very much. my question goes to ted cruz. mr. cruz, you support the construction of the keystone pipeline that would transport tar sands oil to texas refineries. number of texas landowners however oppose the company's using eminent domain to forcefully route that pipeline through their private property. should the pipeline companies be able to override the landowners by using eminent domain? >> that's ultimately a question for state law to determine. i think, i am disturbed about eminent domain abuse because i think private property rights are fundamental to who we are as americans and who we are as texans. the problem isn't e

bush epa administrator. he feels the same way. he does not understand this. there are a lot of republicans who are uncomfortable with the. we need to communicate this to our elected leaders, let them know that we're not going to be one -- run roughshod. let this party know that it is going to have to return to its roots, its environmental history, and its conservative groups, conservative tenants of thrift, independents. you know, we "t.s. eliot in the book. he is generally thought of as the most learned man of letters to be a conservative voice in the 20th-century. t.s. eliot has this wonderful poem, the waste land. it is not an informal poll. he wrote 80 years ago. the images in it are stark. t.s. eliot and one of the most famous lines in the wasteland says, i will show you fear in a handful of dust. the house has shown us here, not in a handful of dust, but in a torrent of bad legislation. the single worst legislative assault in history against the environment safeguards we'll depend on to protect our environment and health. we need to stand up, speak out.

here is one of those videos. >> to quote one of my colleagues at epa, epa is a mean, green, job creatione. >> reporter: that is claim by republican that is the president is pushing the epa to become too green. other epa officials and president talk on video about the oil and gas industry. no immediate comment from the epa. martha: thank you very much. steve centanni. bill: there are new calls for answers after classified information on iran's nuclear facilities was leaked for everyone to see. and now the latest in a string of high-profile leaks on foreign policy. where's the leak? what does that do to our security? kt mcfarland is on that this morning. martha: mitt romney hammering president obama saying that time has run out for excuses on this economy. that is his opinion. herman cain will be here with his opinion right after this. stay with us. we're sitting on a bunch of shale gas. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the

the two other federal agencies that have been working on the detection of the tsunami from the epa and noaa, considering noaa office's coordination on science matters and the potential impact on the debris of our coastal ecosystems, where do you see your office fitting into the response effort at a federal level and please describe any efforts that you've taken thus far on this issue. thank you. >> thank you for that question. my office is advisory and analytical more than operational and so we try to work with the departments and agencies that have operational responsibilities to be sure that what they're doing is coordinated and consistent with the best understandings of science as we know them and we are in close coordination in that sense with noaa and epa in their responsibilities around the coasts including the responsibilities for monitoring and responding to what reaches us from japan as a result of that devastating tsunami. >> we have been particularly engaged in my office, in conducting and overseeing assessments at levels of radio activity that have reached or could reach th

and i think she ought to give that advice to the epa. chair now recognizes mr. hol grem from illinois. >> thank you, dr. holdren, for being here. i was reading this morning in space news, an article about their statement that in the last four years, they were arguing that we've gone from first place to probably third place as far as nations in the forefront of space exploration. i think that's a shame. i want to focus my comments mostly on something else. you were here back in february, and i appreciate you coming back today. following the hearing we had back in february, i submitted a couple of questions to you. the answers which i just recently received from your office. one of the questions i asked you in february started by pointing out that particle physics has become a global field, that it's now entering an extremely exciting phase, and i asked what you thought, what role the united states should play in that. i asked -- you thought the united states should be building world class physics facilities to be built here. your answer, and i quote, was, i think

this is something that epa looks at when they do affordability in different communities and typically we see 3% inflation in the economy in the u.s.. at 3% inflation, everything doubles. someone making $10,000 today, if they got a 3% raise, it would be $20,000. while it would be higher than 3%, it does level off. we know our customers are not at the average, so we have programs like the low-income programs that help. >> this chart shows the percentage of that sewer and eat -- to water and sewer. you are assuming it is growing by 3%. that may or may not be true. >> that is correct. in some years, and has actually grown more. not necessarily for everybody but the average has been greater. >> if you can turn to slide 36, luckily we are starting off at a point that is already one of the medium-range bills at average family budget. you can see where we would significantly be over the next 10 years, we would projected to be less than the average bill. we have a very good system. it is cost-effective but it is old. luckily, we are starting off with what is a lower initial bill which will hel

the epa is looking at dealing with greenhouse gases and to deal with climate change. so should congress let epa deal with this, or should they intervene and stop them, and pretty resoundingly 55% said yes, the epa should be allowed to make new rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and so that -- that's, you know, one part of the coin. the second, we asked a second question. there's a more detailed issue coming up with how to handle pollution and mercury issues at nuclear power plants, and so, again, this question should the congress intervene on this issue, and so we gave the response of the poll three options, one is what the business community wants is let's halt these rules because it could cause increased prices in electricity, could cause rolling blackouts. the second option was what environmentalists want which is just put the rule in place. this is necessary for public health and the public really took the third choice which is, yes, we should keep this rule, but what we really need to do is make more times to make sure that the companies and the businesses c

thhs pproach from epa is too heavy-handed, and it's going to cost peoole in this parrish says farmersve alreaay cut back on fertilizerssand have created buffer zones to reduce runoff. farmers want that cleaner bay, but they also know from their ptandpoint, they are already pn a azor's edge. and if you push this envelope, it could reelly have a signiiicant impact on the ability for farms to operate.-----end----- cnn.script----- 3 screaming nats nats ...and the unusual place...that faced a funnel cloud... during graduation... ...after the break (11:45:10) "you wreaked the smell where it comes ut of your pores." pores." ...and if you ere downtown this week... you probably smelled it...the ptench from the inner harbor. what may have caused to... and the action that could prevent it in the future...after the break. 3 3 a teenager is in the hospital afteera freek crews are seen airlifting the meeorial hospital, thursday. police responding ..... found the teenaggr with a spear from a spear gun sticcing out of his forehead. there's no word on what caused the incident. his condition is not kno

the epa fired back saying no, we're not using drones. in fact we're using what you see on the left-hand side of your screen, single-engine cessnas to go up and take photographs of the ranches. their deal they're trying to make sure that ranchers do not allow manure to get into ground water and contaminate the water supplies. the ranchers clearly do not like big brother spying from above. they have organize ad number of protests. they're going to their congressman. they say this needs to end. epa says it has been approved by the courts and they have been surveilling these ranchers now for 10 years, megyn. and they have caught a number of them red-handed. mostly catching them in iowa. so we'll find out soon if this policy ends for good. megyn: tg, thank you. >> reporter: yep. megyn: a medical emergency ends in a deadly car crash. prosecutors argue this driver should have never been behind the wheel saying she was warned not to drive. "kelly's court" breaks down the facts and asks whether this mother should go to jail. >>> the votes are in.

you mentioned the epa. let's go there. the driver's seat. >> well, this is the mostç outf control federal agency that we have right now. listen, we need a good balance between protecting the environment and getting people back to work. these policies are so unbalanced we are calling it the employment prevention agency in virginia. so many policies on coal, nuclear, natural gas, on the use of one's private property and on and on are so stacked against the job creator and the entrepreneur at a time we have 8% it's no wonder we are not recovering faster. that case isn't over, by the way. that was a d.c. circuit court opinion. hopefully people will look at whether or not there is another step to take. this is another example of an overburdensome federal government that now has at least a favorable opinion from the courts stifling the recovery in this country. >> we'll leave it there. we appreciate it, sir. all the best on the campaign trail. >> okay, larry. thanks for having me on. >> all right. we have a program note. tomorr

in a recent court hearing, the epa estimated navistar could lose $3 billion of revenue if its engines do not get certified. if that happened, that would be the end of the line. navistar does not have the cash or borrowing capacity to absorb such a catastrophe. they will not address this issue but a spokesman did say it is important to the future of the company things get resolved in a timely manner. >> what's timely? >> hold your horsepower. i hear your story, great piece on cnbc.com. the stock is down 44%, not 94%. still a $21 stock. there are still people seeing value in the equity. >> that's right. >> the stork is not a dime, not a dollar. >> sometimes people see value in equity. there are people like people who give me credit and look at the balance street. >> if mr. market saw this company wouldn't the stock be down 90% because equity is the first to go because it's worthless. >> you look at a situation like this with someone like ryan raising red flags over american airlines, who could file bankruptcy or a number of years ago, carl icahn piling in the

we are in close coordination in that sense with both noaa and epa in their responsibilities around the coast, including the responsibilities for monitoring and responding to what reaches us from japan as a result of that devastating tsunami. we have been particularly engaged in my office in conducting and overseeing assessments and the levels of radioactive that have reach order could reach the united states. and the reassuring thing i can say about that is although our ability to monitor is so good that we're able to detect even very tiny concentrations of radioactivity, the radioactivity that has in fact reached the united states so far is all in that very tiny category and does not reach levels of public health concern. but we will continue to work with noaa and epa to monitor particularly that radioactivity aspect of what reaches our coast, but also other aspects. i will say that i think noaa, as with many agencies, has been struggling with 20 pounds of missions in a ten-pound budget. and we all struggle with that challenge today. i think noaa would tell you if administrator lubche

i'm committed to working with epa so as to ensure that it does not happen. >> when you say reasonable, economical is part of that? >> certainly. >> okay. good. because for us, in alaska it's truly the highway in the sky, it's critical that we have the right ability and when we converted, a much higher level of leaded gas to unleaded which was our vehicles, it took, many, many, many years to do that and it was not overnight and i'm worried that epa has a different view of life here, that they can flip the switch and make it all magic. i'm glad you make the statement that you just said, because you understand the faa component of this and the economic component of this. can you keep us informed if there are milestones occurring that we need to be aware of? i guarantee we will hear quickly in alaska and we want to make sure we are on top of this issue? >> absolutely, we would be happy to. >> thank you. and the other one is, we have this battle on a fairly regular bases the administration in the 13 budget had the $100 user fee on ga, gentle aviation users and i honestly think it's -- you

the epa issued an npram on avgas. weave heard a lot of comments. i'm sure faa has also heard a lot of comments. and our concern is, and as you know, faa is ultimately responsible for certifying the type of gas that goes into aviation or to airplanes. and we are, i want to make it very clear, that we are hopeful that there are no moves by epa or faa to phase out avgas until there's truly an appropriate, economic drop in substitute fuel. can you comment on that? >> senator begich, we share that concern. avgas is unique. it is the remaining leaded fuel but it meets the unique requirements that exist in general aviation. and the faa completely understands the importance of having reasonable alternatives before any effort is made to phase out avgas. i'm committed to work to ensure that doesn't happen. >> when you say reasonable, economical is part of that equation? >> certainly. >> okay. good. because for us in alaska it's truly, it's the highway and the sky. it's critical we have the right ability. when we converted a much higher level of leaded gas to

if epa and the states had full legal authority and could treat radio nuclides, clear cleanup standards could be promulgated and we could be much further along. in remediating the toxic level of the cold war, as just one answer. furth ewe could avoid some of the ongoing disputes over operations at commercial nuclear facilities. even the brc recognized this as it noted new mexico's efforts to regulate aspects of the wip facility in senator udall's state under its hazardous waste laws is mentioned as a critical positive outlet. i can assure you that obtaining that regulatory authority was a -- in short order, a contentious fight. but once that regulatory authority was obtained by the state, that was the critical step. any regulatory change of this magnitude would have to be harmonized with nrc licensing jurisdiction over nuclear facilities and epa's existing jurisdiction over radiation protection standards. but such a process is certainly within the -- is certainly within the capacity of those federal agencies. some states would assume environmental jurisdiction over radioactive material.

but the epa has been wreaking havoc on texas and other states.se of us, and i'm -- as lieutenant governor, i'm working part time, but we all feel like we've got a bull's eye on our back because of the epa. texas is sitting today as the saudi arabia of natural gas. we've got the opportunity, first time in our lifetimes, to truly have energy independence from foreign oil. and we need to be using that natural gas. we need to expand drilling, use it in transportation which will lower the emissions, which is part of your question, use it in electric generation, and this would dramatically benefit the economy of texas and reduce emissions. >> thank you. >> mr. cruz? >> look, we need to do everything we can to get the federal government out of the way of energy exploration. we need to be exploring and developing our natural resources. we have the potential, as the lieutenant governor observed, for energy dependence for the first time in modern history because of the incredible advancements in hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling. and right now the

i spoke of the epa last yearrwhen it activity against idaho homeownees.e video oo our website. the supreme court agreed with me in january when it ruued against the epa.the epa is another example of goveenment assuming an adversaaial position with the public. governmenttversus the people.kind of like the tsa hhmiliating cancer survivors. aad making wounded soldiers disassemble prosshetic limbs. going through airport security is has been occurring for feedoms decades. it picked up steam after 9/11. and has ssowbaaled in the last few documents -- especially the - declaration of independence and constitution. our founddng fathers declared that rights - from god. nd &pgovernment is given power by the people.big government types believe government holds pll power. nd distributes amoonts to theeppople. in larger portions to their political supporters.2012 is the year to make difference at phe polls. roll back big government. end abusive government intrusion. restore individual rights, liberties this story visit behind the us twitter and facebook. i'm mark hyman

the highest fuel rating ever given by the epa. >>> we'll be right back.t, more local election results: great idea. so we'll switch to u-verse tv and internet.... that's just what we need... i got accepted into juilliard. [ dad ] that's great! can we talk about wireless plans? now we can video-chat. and faster internet... [ female announcer ] with at&t u-verse, you can build a personalized bundle to fit your needs. even when they change. switch now. bundles including u-verse tv, internet and home phone start as low as 79 a month for 12 months -- oubest bundle price ever. plus get a total home dvr included. choose from a variety of u-verse tv packages that let you record four shows at once... and play them back in any room. and when you add our wireless receiver exclusively from at&t, you can move your tv where you want in your home. so switch now. triple-play bundles start as low as 79 a month. and get a total home dvr included. mom, daddoooooo! i'm moving back in... better call at&t. yep... ♪ >> you're looking at a live picture of sfo. in 20 minutes it wi

the highest fuel rating ever given by the epa. >>> we'll be right back.ore local election results: copd makes it hard to breathe, so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. >> you're

the epa is committed to this for the long haul. it's too important to stop.his lawsuit, you can guarantee they are going to keep battling it out. one of the big issues is the cost of this. it's going to cost lots and lots of money for the farmers, forsewage treatment facilities to do upgrades. all sorts of ways they are trying to tackle this. it's going to cost money. there are millions of dollars available through the federal government. farmers argue and national association of home builders who also joined on with that lawsuit, they argued these costs are being taken into consideration. it's going to cost a lot more than money available from the state and government. >> athena jones live from the chesapeake bay. >>> we asked you to pak about one of the big stories of the day. what do you think of bill press's crusade against "the star-spinningled banner?" we'll talk with bill press in about 45 minutes. ♪ oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an ins