mr. barton for an opening statement. >> mr. chairman can i defer for a few minutes. i want to give it, but i just got done at the doctor's office. >> oh. >> you do want to talk? >> yes. if you could let someone else go. >> mr. waxman said he will go now. i would like to recognize mr. waxman. >> thank you for being here today. and thank you for your outstanding leadership that you have provided to the environmental protection agency. under your leadership, epa is making our air safer to breathe and our water safer to drink and you are doing so in a way that will strengthen our economy and create jobs. congress, should be your partner in these efforts, but since republicans took control last january. the house of representatives, has tried to undermine your efforts every step of the way. the epa budget represents a small portion of the overall spending. under the president's proposal for fiscal year 2013. epa funding is less than one quarter of 1% of the federal budget and epa shares over 40% of these funds with the states and tribes to help implement federal laws and

mr. barton, five minutes for questions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam administrator, back in october, i think october the 12th you appeared before a hearing of this committee. i asked you a question about the number of credit cards that the epa and what the limits were and how much money was spent and what the criteria. we put that in a follow-up letter to your administration on november the 1st. we've still not gotten an answer. can you enlighten us on the status of that query and what the response is to it? >> i think you have your epa women mixed up. i think that was ms. bennett's hearing and we'll get you an answer as soon as we can. >> do you know where it is? do you know anything about it other than we haven't gotten any response at all? >> i know we're preparing a response and will be getting a response to you, sir. >> okay. you have been doing quite a bit of travel which is a good thing i think. i don't have a problem with administration officials traveling. but some of the locations seem a little bit -- i won't say puzzling, but interesti

mr. barton, for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and, again, thank you, mr. secretary, for being here. in my opening statement, i referenced the alternative energy budget and specifically said concerns about the loan guarantee program. as you know, we continue to have an ongoing investigation with regards to solyndra. at the last hearing that you attended, i believe with the focus on solyndra, you were very supportive of the way the loan guarantee program had been managed, but i think you did indicate that there might be some changes forthcoming. have there been changes in the way you and your department have managed the loan guarantee program for alternative energy, and if so, could you tell us what those are are? >> yes, sir, there were changes. let me give you a few examples. we know that sometimes the economics of a particular industry, for example, in the case of solyndra solar, photovoltaics can change very rapidly. 40% dechain in the price of solar -- decline in the price of solar modules in one year, 75-80% decline in three years. one of of the things

mr. barton. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. barton: i thank the distinguished subcommittee chairman and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the chair: without objection. mr. barton: had a brain freeze there. texas congressmen don't often quote shakespeare but i'm going to attempt it. there's a line in "ham let" that goes something -- "hamlet" that goes something to the effect that, me thinks the lady doth protest too much. my friends on the democratic side of the aisle seem to be protesting too much a very modest bill, 20-something pages in length. it's basically a good government bill. the bill basically says that the f.c.c., before they issue a rule, they've got to actually put it out for public comment, for at least 30 days. and then once they formalize it, they've got to let people have another 30 days to comment on what they actually are proposing. subcommittee chairman walden circulated a draft bill, to my knowledge he circulated it to the entire committee and to the industry and the stakeholders and i know in my c

mr. barton: thank you. we have just heard an argument from one of the authors, if not the chief author of the new health care law, so it's understandable that former chairman waxman would rise in -- indignant defense of his product and oppose this bill. but h.r. 5, the path bill, is in act walt a ration -- actuality a response to reform the affordable care act. the independent payment advisory board is an independent 15-member panel appointed by the president unless the president doesn't appoint it unless three of the president's chief advisors become the board, and if they don't decide to do it then one person, the secretary of health and human services, has the authority when this kicks in in 2014 to make all kinds of decisions that the recognize ream impact health care in america. i don't think and a majority of my colleagues don't think it's the way it should be done, so this bill in one paragraph at the -- i think on page 24, repeals that section. that is a good start. it is not the end-all be-all but

mr. barton. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. secretary, for being here. in my opening statement i referenced the alternative energy budget and specifically expressed concerns about the loan guarantee program. as you know, we continue to have an ongoing investigation with regards to solyndra. the last hearing that you attended, i believe, the focus was on solyndra. you're very supportive of the way the loan guarantee program had been managed, but i think you did indicate there might be some changes forthcoming. have not been changes in the way you and your department have managed the loan guarantee program for alternative energy and, if so, can you tell us what those are? >> there were changes. limited to a few examples. -- let me give you a few examples. we know the economics of a particular industry, for example in the case of solyndra, can change very rapidly. 40% decline in the price of solar modules, essentially a commodity in one year -- 75%-80% decline in three years. one of the things we now do on a weekly basis is look very closely at changing mar

mrs. amanda barton. mr. david ajai. mrs. ashley jasmine scott. the honorable nancy ann depearl.rm jason depearl. -- mr. jason depearl. the honorable patrick f. kennedy. ms. elizabeth slope. governor o'malley. judge katie o'malley. senator richard lugar. mrs. charlene lugar. >> we have been watching the guest arrivals at the white house for the state dinner for british prime minister, at david cameron. the dinner happening on the south lawn. we continue to follow the arrivals on our web site. coming up, at 8:15, we will bring you the coast from tonight's dinner and comments from president obama and david cameron. we will also speak to marc mardell and get his perspective. all of that coming up live this evening. a day of activities for the president and prime minister, beginning with the official arrival ceremony this morning. >> present. ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of united states and mrs. michelle obama. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [drumming] ♪ >> ladies and german, the national anthem of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland followed by the national a

mr. barton proposed in the last congress.ut the republicans deny even discuss this idea. -- do not even want to discuss this idea. last year, the top five oil companies made $137 billion in profits. the price of oil is over $100 per barrel with oil at such a high price, do we need to be giving out $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies each year to have an incentive for them to drill more oil? can you explain that to me? >> i do not believe that the oil industry is doing very well financially and they have a lot of incentives. >> they have a lot of incentives now. so we would be better off for killing the subsidies and using that money to develop cleaner sources of energy to reduce our dependence on oil and move us forward to a clean energy economy yet the republicans oppose that as well. i appreciate what he has been doing, even though congress tries to frustrate him. >> the gentleman from illinois for five minutes. >> i loved following my friend mr. waxman. for us to move in the clean energy world, we have to pay for tha