as top environmental official in massachusetts, she helped design programs to help promote renewable energy. as assistant e.p.a. administrator, she has focused on ways to keep our air clean and our economy going. she has earned a reputation as a straight shooter. she welcomes different points of view. i am confident she will do an outstanding job leading the e.p.a. these two over here, they are going to be making sure that we're investing in american energy, that we're doing everything we can to combat the threat of climate change, that we're going to be creating jobs and economic opportunity in the first place. they are going to be a great team. these are some of my top priorities going forward. that's where the rubber hits the road. that's where my third nominee comes in. there is no question jeff's skill and versatility has served the american people very well. i suspect it will continue to serve us well in the future. in the meantime, i am confident that my nominee for o.m.b. director, sylvia matthews burwell is the right person to kin continue jeff's great work. [applause] in th

environmental protection agency. for the past fife years, gina mccarthy has been the epa's top air regulation official, and lawmakersing how this might effect fossil fuels. senator john barrasso writing in "the wall street journal" today says, quote: rick: useing the agency's own estimat, researchers at the heritage foundation report that the epa's 20 major rules alone will cost $45 million annually. senator john barrasso, a republican from wyoming, joins us now. thanks so much for making the time. i understand that the confirmation hearing is going an an -- on as we speak, and you're about to ask your first questions of the nominee. give us some highlights. what's question number one? >> well, thanks, rick. you know, the epa, in my opinion, is failing america. all you need to do is take a look at this last week's abysmal jobs record, and what we know is that if the president really wanted to get people back to work, he would really rein in the epa. the regulations that continue to come out are burdensome, they're expensive and time consuming, and that's what i'm going to be boring in on during the hearing. rick: i'