EPA's Zeldin testifies on Trump's budget request in Senate Environment hearing

[0:00] of that bill took the final step to repeal the green bank and rescind those canceled grant funds [0:05] as well as millions of dollars from other ira programs clawing them back to the united [0:10] states treasury on behalf of the american taxpayers the epa under administrator zeldin's [0:16] leadership is delivering results real results to benefit west virginians and the american people [0:22] but there's still much work to be done we need to assure that the epa's bipartisan foundational [0:28] programs like the drinking water and clean water state revolving funds are adequately funded [0:33] these programs are how communities especially small and rural communities replace aging pipes [0:39] update treatment systems and ensure safe reliable service we also need to ensure that programs and [0:45] processes are well established to strengthen economic competitiveness by approving new [0:51] innovative chemicals and cleaning up environmental brownfield sites administrator zeldin i appreciate [0:56] the steps your agency has taken so far i look forward to hearing how you plan to build on that [1:01] progress how you're prioritizing epa's core responsibilities and how we can continue [1:06] working together to support american energy and american jobs so i now recognize ranking member white [1:12] house for his opening statement thank you chairman the point of science isn't to have an opinion it's to [1:20] to make a prediction science is society's headlights predicting what's ahead what science has unequivocally [1:30] shown for decades epa's recent efforts to dismantle and distort science notwithstanding [1:38] is that fossil fuel emissions are disrupting earth's basic operating systems in increasingly dangerous [1:46] ways as ocean and weather systems go haywire all the fossil fuel funded faux science will count for naught [1:57] indeed it will inevitably be exposed as fraud climate change is moving from the science department to the [2:07] economics department so the first hits coming are economic hits from industries that must truthfully [2:16] predict how climate change will affect their businesses one industry that has to predict well [2:24] is the insurance industry for both fiduciary and business reasons climate risk is blasting insurance [2:34] markets and melting down homeowners insurance florida is first and worst 64 percent of voters in florida [2:45] understand their home insurance crisis relates to climate change even 44 percent of trump voters in florida [2:56] understand that home insurance costs are exploding insurers are leaving customers in some cases they're [3:05] leaving whole states and regions and predictions are that the cascade goes from climate risk to insurance [3:13] collapse to mortgage collapse to property values collapsing to full-on recession already florida leads the nation [3:26] in property value decline every increased premium every notice of non-renewal every customer dumped into a [3:35] state plan ties back to the fossil fuel industry's twinned operations of climate denial fraud and dark money [3:45] corruption operating through dozens of front groups which have blockaded efforts to reduce the underlying [3:52] climate risk that is driving that whole cascade even though they knew they deployed fraud and corruption [4:02] to blockade another cost going up for consumers is electricity bills this is driven in part by the fossil fuel [4:10] industry's plot to subvert the powers of government to keep inexpensive clean energy off the grid ask any [4:20] grid operator inexpensive clean energy runs first on the grid because it's inexpensive as demand [4:30] climbs the grid then goes to more and more expensive fossil fuel plants which raise and raise the grid price [4:40] and consumer costs go up and up the point of the industry plan is to raise consumer costs by reducing clean energy [4:52] spending those extra billions consumers must spend to fossil fuel plants and fossil fuel producers [5:00] it's a money pump deliberately extracting money from consumers and sending it to trump's big corrupt fossil fuel [5:09] donors the trump administration persistently lies about the added cost that's part of what the fossil fuel [5:18] industry paid for administrator zeldin himself has said for example that the wind and solar industries [5:25] would not exist without government subsidies but that's simply not true coal and gas are more expensive [5:33] per megawatt hour than wind and solar even with their 700 plus billion dollars of free to pollute subsidy [5:42] that fossil fuel gets from the u.s government 700 billion dollars of subsidy every year well grid operators [5:51] don't lie they run grids based on cost you can see who's less expensive or you can take a look at the [6:01] contracts offshore wind will cost nine cents per kilowatt hour in our 18 cent per kilowatt hour average cost [6:10] grid do the math nine is less than 18. four-year-olds know that and yet the administration lies administrator zeldin [6:22] has played a huge part in delivering this payback to trump's fossil fuel donors payback in the form of [6:27] policies driving dirtier air and water worsening climate change and extreme weather and driving higher [6:35] costs for consumers in the form of ever higher property insurance premiums and electricity bills [6:42] from attempting to kill clean energy programs to handing out pollute for free passes to fossil fuel [6:49] power plants to saddling americans with increasingly unaffordable gas guzzlers zeldin has executed the [6:56] fossil fuel industry's agenda a massive reckoning is coming those who sold out for position and power [7:07] and presumably to be taken care of afterwards by the big polluters those who lied to the public those who [7:15] chose to support the industry's interest over the public interest those who drove consumer costs up [7:23] on purpose to reward big political trump donors all that will be exposed it is inevitable it is nature's [7:35] way indeed it's already begun all the climate denial fraud that you help propagate all the corrupt dark [7:44] money your polluter bosses sluice through this building none of that will stand against nature's [7:51] reckoning a reckoning that is inevitable as inevitable as a sunrise we ignore at our own peril the fact that [8:02] these natural systems nature's own economy provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national [8:11] security thank you chairman thank you senator whitehouse uh this afternoon we are joined by [8:17] the honorable lee zeldin who's the administrator of the united states environmental protection agency [8:22] i look forward to hearing from administrator zeldin about the agency's proposed multi-billion dollar [8:27] budget for the fiscal year 2027 and how he plans to build upon the programs and policies that ensure [8:33] the core mission of the epa is executed so mr administrator thank you for being here but before we [8:40] move to your testimony i'll administer the oath to receive your sworn testimony if you would rise please [8:45] and raise your right hand and answer the following question do you swear the testimony you're about [8:50] to give to this committee is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so hope you got [8:55] thank you let the record show that the witness answered in the affirmative so we will now proceed [9:01] administrator zeldin you are now recognized for your opening statement thank you well thank you [9:06] chairman capito ranking member white house and members of the committee i appreciate the opportunity to [9:12] appear before you today to discuss the president's fiscal year 2027 budget request for the u.s environmental [9:19] protection agency i would like to take a moment to thank many of you for supporting the confirmation [9:25] of epa's leadership team who have wasted no time enacting president trump's agenda and helping to power [9:32] the great american comeback marking one year of president trump being back in office epa announced over 500 [9:40] environmental winds in that first year we've made enormous strides to tackle the decades-long tijuana [9:47] river sewage crisis that's affected san diego area communities we're getting lead out of drinking water [9:53] across the country and we're proving you don't have to choose between a strong economy and a clean [9:59] environment this great work is just a fraction of what epa accomplishes on a daily basis as we continue to [10:06] fulfill our core mission of protecting human health and the environment there are democrats on this dais [10:14] who want the epa to govern in left-wing fantasy pursuing their agenda to destroy entire sectors of [10:20] our economy at the trump epa we govern in reality we are committed to supporting more baseload power sources [10:28] in this country to meet this moment and unleash energy dominance i fulfill the commitment i made during [10:35] my confirmation to visit all 50 states as epa administrator and i completed that effort in just [10:41] nine and a half months during those visits i learned how epa's policies rules and regulations [10:48] impacted farmers small business owners and our energy providers it was exciting to often witness in my [10:55] travels groundbreaking after groundbreaking seeing firsthand the projects that are underway to unleash [11:01] energy dominance grow our economy and power the artificial intelligence revolution during my visits [11:09] i asked how can we help and where do we need to get out of the way everywhere i heard we need certainty [11:16] and consistency the trump epa is committed to bringing down costs for american families by ending the [11:22] whiplash of the radical climate agenda the supreme court's overturning of the chevron doctrine made it clear [11:30] that agencies like epa no longer have the freedom to creatively bend the law to fulfill the demands of [11:36] unelected bureaucrats this paved the way to our greatest deregulatory achievement yet the rescission of [11:43] the 2009 endangerment finding for 16 years the endangerment finding has been the source of consumer [11:49] choice restrictions and trillions of dollars of hidden costs piled onto americans this single decision [11:57] lessens the federal government's harmful grip over our economy saving over one trillion dollars and [12:03] bringing down the cost of new vehicles november epa rolled out a proposed rule that would establish a [12:09] clear durable common sense definition of waters of the united states faithfully abiding by the supreme [12:16] court's decision in second democrat administrations have weaponized the definition of navigable waters [12:23] to seize more power from american farmers landowners entrepreneurs and families we heard from americans [12:30] across the country who want clean water and a clear rule no longer should america's landowners be [12:36] forced to spend precious money hiring an attorney or consultant just to tell them whether a water of [12:42] the united states is on their property as we work to protect human health and the environment grow our [12:48] economy and restore america's energy dominance epa has taken several actions to bolster domestic [12:54] energy production in february we took steps to end democrats war on coal by repealing the biden [13:00] administration's overly burdensome 2024 mercury and air toxic standards the rule imposed massive costs [13:07] and red tape on coal and oil fired plants driving up the cost of living for american families jeopardizing [13:15] our grid reliability and national security and limiting american energy and manufacturing dominance [13:21] having reliable energy production not only provides lower costs for american families but ensures [13:27] national security the president's fy 27 budget will continue to make epa efficient and effective [13:34] stewards of americans hard-earned tax dollars and fulfill our statutory obligations and our core mission [13:42] this budget proposal captures significant efficiencies and a return focus on what congress has directed us to do [13:49] demonstrating our commitment to a leaner more efficient and accountable epa focused on environmental [13:55] work that directly benefits the american people the budget supports and aligns with president trump's [14:01] goal of right-sizing the federal workforce with a staff not one more or less than what is necessary [14:07] we will continue working each and every day to deliver an epa that works to empower the american people [14:13] while protecting our nation's air land and water i look forward to answering all of your questions thank you [14:18] thank you and i will start the questioning uh thank you for being here and uh you know all the comments [14:26] this far has talked about the urgent need to generate more electricity uh the past administration's [14:33] power sector strategy was to shut down baseload energy availabilities and our nation is facing an energy [14:40] scarcity people talk about it all the time and know that it is a reality this strategy consisted of a half [14:47] dozen rules at epa including clean power plan 2.0 that went beyond the government the agency's regulatory [14:54] authority which you've addressed will you discuss your efforts to repeal the biden uh epa power sector [15:01] strategy and how that will lead to more affordable reliable electricity while continuing to protect [15:07] public health and welfare well thank you chairman what we saw especially towards the end of the biden [15:13] administration was an attack with many rules seeking to strangulate coal out of existence telling your [15:22] coal miners that they should just learn to code we understand how important coal is to your state and [15:27] many other states appear on this dais the 2024 mercury and air toxic standards have been repealed we [15:33] still have the strict 2012 standards that were working and have significantly reduced mercury and other [15:39] emissions we are working to repeal clean power plan 2.0 efforts with regards to steam electric elg coal [15:47] combustion residuals giving primacy uh to states on the handling of ccr as i mentioned with our new [15:53] waters of the united states rule uh with our new water reuse action plan 2.0 and more we are rolling back [16:02] that attack that we saw on coal and other sources of power uh we and if i could hear uh i think it's [16:10] important to emphasize at this point that this the clean air act and the clean water act written by [16:15] congress all of what you're doing here falls within the boundaries of what we have directed you to do [16:20] is that correct yes ma'am thank you um in the working families tax cut we signed into law we repealed [16:26] section 134 of the clean air act to eliminate the greenhouse gas reduction fund i think it was 17 billion [16:35] dollars uh it is in litigation right now and uh i was curious to know uh in in uh we we supported [16:45] the uh grant cancellations through the path through the passage of the working families tax cut total [16:50] waste of money these are unobligated uh well i understand there's legislation pending if the courts [16:56] affirm the congress has rescinded the 17 billion dollars do you commit to quickly returning these funds [17:01] to the united states treasury enthusiastically thank you um i want to talk about pfos you and i've talked [17:07] about this before uh you know it's a concern i have it's a concern around the country uh and we [17:13] haven't been able to really reach a congressional um uh a point at which we can we can agree here as [17:22] to how we might be helpful um under circla as uh strict uh guidance uh retro and their retroactive [17:31] liability structure uh we're not sure that the passive receivers that would be small water companies [17:37] it could be ag people it could be anybody else who's sharing water resources there's a concern [17:44] that they may be on the hook to pay for any kind of cleanup uh while we work for a solution can you [17:50] tell me what epa has done i know you have several authorities uh and execs an existing settlement and [17:56] allocation tools under circla are you using those authorities how are you using them and how [18:00] successful have they been we believe strongly that the polluter should pay and that the ratepayers [18:06] shouldn't be on the hook for cleaning up pfas contamination of their own water supply we had a [18:13] choice as to whether or not to pursue uh circla or ricora neither of these two laws were written [18:21] with pfas in mind and unfortunately the cost of cleanup is passed down from that water system there are [18:29] thousands across this country who would be giving it to their ratepayers so we look forward to being [18:35] able to work with congress to be able to address this issue with regards to circla we have been in [18:42] contact with stakeholders there isn't a liability settlement that i'm here to report on and congress [18:48] a congressional solution would certainly be ideal to address the passive receiver status [18:53] uh safe drinking water uh which involves the state revolving funds uh all of our states particularly [19:04] is particularly those of us that have still small and remaining rural communities that don't have [19:08] satisfactory service uh they're limited in their financing options it's very difficult this is a [19:13] critical program for them uh will you commit to working with states to implement all uh funding that [19:19] congress provides from the srs in future authorizations and appropriations yes chairman thank you [19:25] uh senator whitehouse i'm gonna let uh senator sanders proceed first because he has a scheduling [19:31] issue so i'll swap with him before we go to senator sanders really quick sorry senator i'd like uc [19:37] request for submission for the record uh an article uh written by the washington post epa's right to [19:42] reverse obama overreach uh another uc request for submission the record wall street journal article [19:49] climate regulation liberation day the trump epa moves to appeal obama biden endangerment finding and [19:54] lastly unanimous consent enter the record article real clear energy america's power needs coal and [19:59] common sense thank you thank you madam chair mr zeldon thanks very much for being with us um i want to [20:11] focus on one issue i'm glad that you mentioned your desire to bring down costs in america unfortunately [20:20] you have not been succeeding costs are going up in many aspects of our economy especially in terms of [20:27] electricity rates as you know all over the country people are paying higher and higher electric bills [20:34] now there are a lot of reasons for that but one of the possible solutions is for us to make certain [20:40] that low-income and working-class people have solar panels on their rooftops as you well know when one [20:49] has solar panels on a rooftop we can reduce electric rates by 70 80 90 it is a big deal not to mention [21:01] that it takes carbon emissions out of the atmosphere and helps us address climate change all right as [21:07] part of the inflation reduction act i got a provision in there called solar for all i suspect you're [21:13] familiar with that it's a seven billion dollar program which would reduce electric rates over a period of [21:20] years for millions of low-income and working-class people rather substantially unfortunately and i think [21:26] illegally the trump administration rescinded that legislation so what i'm asking you right now you [21:33] talk about lowering costs we need to put solar panels on rooftops if you're concerned about climate [21:40] change we got to cut carbon emissions will you work with me to make sure that that seven billion dollars [21:47] for solar for all and by the way the grants that i've come into the epa as you probably know are [21:52] from dozens and dozens of states republican states democratic states all over this country people want [21:58] lower electric rates they want to protect the environment that's what that bill does will you [22:03] work with me to make sure that that seven billion dollars actually is funded it gets out to the states [22:08] senator the issue is that congress has rescinded the entirety of that program as well as rescinding [22:16] the money for epa to be able to oversee the program now if congress was to pass this again in the [22:22] future we will then do our job to get the money out but now we'll respect the decision that congress [22:28] made last summer in repealing it you're suggesting that the big so-called big beautiful bill repealed [22:35] it is that what you're suggesting uh not only did it rescind the account it also rescinded the account [22:40] for us to oversee okay first of all it did not rescind uh solar for all and if you're sitting here [22:48] telling us that when we have a program that could lower electric rates for millions of people help [22:53] clean up the environment that you can't find a small amount of money to provide oversight to this [22:59] program i think that's not quite credible to be honest with you yeah senator i i maybe we don't share [23:05] this concern but what i was really concerned about when i came in was i found that the way that the [23:10] solar for all program was going to be implemented was that they were going to have the money go through [23:14] up to four different pastors where each of the pastor entity was going to collect at least 15 percent [23:20] so the dollar that you think was appropriated to be spent on the back end had to go through up to four [23:26] pastors where they're each diluting it just so from a standpoint of being fiscally good stewards [23:32] if we ignored the fact that congress rescinded the program if we ignored the fact that they [23:37] rescinded the money to oversee the program i would hope that we would be equally offended by [23:41] good and the answer would be that you would come in and chat with me as the author of the bill say [23:47] bernie how do we make it more efficient we don't want to waste money on administration [23:51] i hate bureaucracy as a matter of fact that's not what you did you took away the opportunity of [23:56] millions of people to see lower electric rates i hope that we can work together to bring that back you [24:02] want to make the program more efficient come on in let's chat about it is that something you could [24:06] do senator i would be happy to sit down and talk to you about the program and what we found with [24:10] the inefficiencies of it but what we also can't ignore is the fact that as part of the one big [24:18] beautiful bill the working families tax cut they rescinded they did not seven billion dollars [24:22] that's just absolutely inaccurate and uh all right thank you very much senator kramer thank you [24:30] madam chair and thank you administrator for being here i i just i have to go back to um some of the [24:37] comments that senator whitehouse made at while i think true i think a little incomplete so i want to [24:44] ask you a couple of questions about the the preference of renewables on the grid because of their low [24:51] marginal net net nearly net zero marginal costs um per kilowatt hour i think you can use the number nine [24:57] cents out of the average 18 cents um do those and i know this is you're not the rate maker [25:06] and you but i think you understand this stuff and that and and i'm wondering if his nine cents do you [25:11] think that includes the 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour subsidy that the taxpayers pay for production tax [25:17] credit or does it include do you think the 30 percent investment tax credit that the utility or the [25:22] the pro the you know producer had to invest before they could even generate this zero cost energy do [25:30] you think those prices include that uh respectfully senator whitehouse's math is extremely wrong well [25:37] it may be right in terms of what he leave you know and what he's including but doesn't i don't believe [25:42] it includes all these other high costs by by taxpayers who by the way are also rate payers see we spend a [25:48] lot of time talking about rates but not real time talking about costs um because near as i can tell [25:56] taxpayers are rate payers as well okay um how about this do you think that it also includes or does it [26:02] leave out the additional investment that a utility has to invest to back up the wind when it doesn't blow [26:09] the other 70 percent of the time in other words you you have to have a backup that's more reliable that [26:15] do you think it includes does his math include those costs that there's no way to explain his math [26:23] okay well let's sticking with this preference on the grid thing um again net zero marginal costs you'd [26:32] be crazy if you didn't put it on the grid first if you've already if you're already stuck with all the [26:37] investment costs and the taxpayer costs and all of those things and and so that that i understand and [26:43] and that's part of the rate structure um but but isn't it true that there are regions and states [26:53] that add regulatory or legal um mandates that require the less reliable uh energy to be on the [27:02] grid first before they then go to the much more reliable uh extra cost uh electricity that goes on the [27:10] grid senator is not a coincidence that the 10 states that have the cheapest rates [27:15] across the country voted for president trump and nine of the 10 with the highest rates voted for [27:20] kamala harris that's not a coincidence yeah um well as a former rate maker let me tell you i i know this [27:27] topic pretty well and i i think if we're gonna have an honest discussion we have to put all the costs [27:32] on the table all right that said let's get back to orders for just a minute first of all thank you [27:37] and into the to to your team for having the first listening session on wires of the united states out [27:42] in the prairie pothole region of north dakota and i think there was a lot of great feedback one of the [27:47] things that um was interesting to me that i did not expect frankly at that listening session was when [27:52] one of the well the president of the the homebuilders association testified after a question that the [28:00] the surveying and studies that they've done show that the cost of a lot due to the waters of the [28:08] united states in certain areas um increased 25 000 per lot for a home before a shovel went into it [28:18] now does that not seem like a a cost issue or a an inflationary issue that could certainly have [28:25] been relieved by a better rule absolutely there are landowners farmers ranchers there are entire states [28:34] who have come to us they've done the math and the impact of the way the waters of the united [28:39] states was defined previously results in a heavy cost uh to be able to hire an attorney or a [28:46] consultant to tell them whether it was a water of the united states and that great uncertainty has [28:51] caused a lot of issues across the country and that's what we're working to fix so while you're working [28:56] to fix it in the remaining seconds maybe give us a an update on that exactly i know that one one of [29:01] the things i hear a couple of things i hear a lot about from people about the proposed rule is terms like [29:06] significant nexus um a wet season are a little bit vague and probably probably similar to you know [29:13] uh federal nexus um can you give me an update on on definitions and the process and is there a way [29:21] we can sort of tighten some of that language up we have been going through all the public comments [29:26] grateful for everyone across the country who participated in the process we encourage [29:30] uh the public to participate when we go out to the the the public comment that included waters the [29:35] united states uh and we've heard this feedback and much more and we are incorporating it white house [29:43] mr zelden my colleagues around this table are closing in on election in which the trump administration's [29:49] household cost catastrophe will be central and you have been on a polluter funded rampage to increase [29:57] americans costs stuff should cost less you are making lots of stuff cost lots more you have raised [30:05] costs for americans you have done so to steer their money to your big polluters your attack on clean [30:13] energy raises costs for consumers but it sends billions to your fossil fuel polluters trump's big donors [30:21] trump's attack on offshore wind stalled nine cent per kilo kilowatt hour power contract number no math [30:30] uh getting to my constituents who work in an 18 cent average kilowatt hour grid every single day that [30:37] that nine cent power was delayed steered money from consumers pockets into the pockets of expensive natural [30:46] gas units units that the clean offshore wind energy would have displaced you will at least [30:52] concede that nine cents is less than 18 cents will you not uh well nine cents is less than 18 cents [30:58] however in this constant content your rampant denial and refusal to address climate your math is [31:04] inaccurate would you like to talk about home insurance rates skyward setting new records in states like [31:11] iowa florida and texas those costs are cascading from a home insurance crisis into a mortgage crisis [31:18] into a property values crisis but the big winners getting to pollute for free are your fossil fuel [31:25] polluters trump's big donors is epa looking at all at florida's climate climate driven insurance crisis [31:34] so to be clear the everything about the nine cents all you want to ask me is i have a new question [31:38] is less than 18 cents no i just thought i'm understanding this is you don't want to ask my [31:43] question i'll move on to the next one if i'm you're tracking right fuel efficiency all you want to [31:46] know that nine cents is less than 18 cents you don't actually talk about the issue you already answered [31:50] that now you're just wasting my time now everything other than nine is less than 18 is wasting your time [31:55] up the cost of americans gasoline budgets your own regulatory impact analysis put the net loss to [32:03] consumers at 180 billion dollars but with a minimum minimum 580 billion bonus for big oil at the pump [32:14] all those billions go to your fossil fuel polluters trump's big donors those are your numbers mr zelden [32:24] you also made it easier to pollute with soot soot which will cost americans tens of billions in added [32:31] health care costs all to save about 600 million dollars in compliance costs for your fossil fuel [32:38] polluters trump's big donors you stopped epa even counting health harms in your cost-benefit analysis [32:46] didn't you i'm still stuck on the fact that all you're asking me so far about any of your numbers [32:52] is that nine is less than 18. you attacked the you want to talk about what an lcoe is i get the time [32:57] here i get to ask the questions you attacked the greenhouse gas reduction fund potentially costing [33:02] consumers 52 billion dollars in lost energy savings let alone the health benefits of cleaner air [33:10] but that 52 billion consumers lose will flow where to your fossil fuel polluters trump's big donors [33:16] ditto the solar for all funding that you attack trying to strip americans of 350 million dollars per [33:22] year and expected energy savings billions over time those lost savings go where to your fossil fuel [33:31] polluters trump's big donors you even set up a special polluter email address that gave polluters a drive [33:38] up window for exemptions from the clean air act helping them keep 70 polluting coal plants online [33:45] one estimate is that just six of those plants have already cost rate payers [33:50] an extra 230 million dollars in costs in less than one year and indeed one plant in michigan has [33:58] already cost michiganders 600 million dollars in excess health costs that is money out of consumers [34:06] pockets and into the pockets of your fossil fuel polluters trump's big donors can we talk about [34:13] you even tracking the consumer cost of those coal plants we're gonna get to talk about math are you even [34:20] tracking the consumer costs of those coal plants oh this is great so i don't even know where to start [34:26] with all the the mess of that question are you even tracking of the consumer costs of those yeah and [34:31] costs are going down across the country when you look at epa's where where are you tracking the consumer [34:37] cost of those coal plants when you look at epa are you kidding me the coal plants even staying open [34:43] you think that the math is it's better for west virginia if you call if you close down their coal plants [34:49] and put these people out of work and tell them to learn a code according to you in your mind [34:54] that's saving west virginia is raising is it saving them on energy you know it's raising [34:58] cause it's saving them on jobs you can talk across me all you like you are raising costs raising you're [35:04] raising costs on purpose if because the money that you get when you raise costs from consumers [35:09] goes to trump's big fossil we don't close down my time is up not sure we're going to get anywhere with [35:17] that uh we'll go to mr curtis i would desperately like to change the subject but i'm administrator [35:25] zelden let me just ask you uh in a very quick answer if we had a magic wand and we waved it and [35:31] we unplugged every single fossil fuel source across our planet now give me 30 seconds to what the world [35:37] would look like i'll tell you for us domestically it would be absolutely devastating uh and and [35:44] unfortunately we don't have to be naive to uh to the math that senator whitehouse is using uh he he [35:50] likes to look at a levelized cost of entry he's not factoring in firming he's not looking at the iso's [35:56] net cost of new energy and when you factor in firming and all the additional costs they start [36:01] skyrocketing and you realize that all sorts of access to fossil fuels that they rail against are [36:07] actually cheaper whether it's the gas combined cycle whether you're talking about the the the gas [36:14] that's early online the nuclear that is already online he wants to use a very small number to say [36:20] that wind is the cheapest and solar is the cheapest he wants to ignore all of the firming costs his math [36:25] is screwed up for the rest of this country as we saw through many many weeks of very cold temperatures [36:33] thank god that people when the uh the sun stops shining when the wind stops blowing and when it's [36:41] freezing over the course of that winter that they had access to reliable durable baseload power [36:46] and thank you to the republicans on this dais for your advocacy and your application of reality to make [36:53] sure that all of these americans are able to stay warm because they would have been in a really screwed up [36:58] position if they were following senator white house's approach towards forcing jamming everyone [37:04] with wind and solar and putting away all their access to reliable baseload power i would take an [37:09] hour of this but i get five minutes so i'm going to shift your gears just a little bit first of all [37:13] when you mentioned you'd been to 50 states i was surprised because i know you came to utah if you [37:18] spent as much time in all 50 states and got into issues as much as you did in utah that is outstanding [37:24] thank you for your visit thank you for me with my legislators and for the good work you've done [37:29] there as you know part of our challenge in utah is is this atmospheric conditions that we have that [37:35] just make us unique and different we've made i would suggest more changes to prove air quality in other [37:41] any other state but just the the game the rules of the game have been problematic for us so thank you [37:47] for your involvement in that now if i could just switch issues just real quickly [37:51] um your the 2027 budget justification prioritize is the review of of new chemicals uh pm ends i [38:01] appreciate your goal literally a goal of of conducting risk assessments and making affirmative [38:06] determinations on more than 500 new chemicals i think that would be about 499 more uh than the last [38:13] administration maybe even 500 so thank you for that can you walk us through the steps ep is taking to [38:19] meet that goal it's an aggressive goal including uh case discussion meetings within 30 days of [38:26] receiving the request and how investments in ai and other innovation have been helping you well on [38:33] that front i want to thank congress appropriated 17 million dollars in march of 2025 to upgrade it [38:40] inside of that office when the systems go down for weeks at a time everything is stopping and then you [38:45] have a backlog that starts increasing we inherited a new chemicals backlog of about 500 or so we did 58 [38:54] new pmns just in the first three months of this year on top of that when we did our agency reorganization [39:00] last year we increased the amount of ftes the amount of scientists inside of the office of chemical safety [39:08] that reorganization and the streamlining of the process the efficiencies that have been added [39:13] uh have allowed us to for example get those 58 new pmns done uh we project that we will do more pmns in [39:22] 2026 than each of the last five years prior yeah thank you and i i want to point out that uh the impact [39:29] that that program has on innovation uh pushing jobs uh if we don't do it push those jobs offshore plus the [39:36] fact that many of these chemicals are actually far better for the environment when we don't get them [39:41] approved we're forcing companies these chemicals that we know are are worse for the environment can you [39:47] also elaborate on i know part of this is communicating with the submitters so talk to me about the process [39:55] that we're improving of communicating with the submitters to make it smoother for them more predictable [40:00] in their review process well sure one of the things i was adding a lot of time was the 100 steps that have [40:06] to get done sequentially uh it's just a no-brainer to start to move this stuff efficiently at the same [40:13] time at once as much as possible and congress is going to have an opportunity as the tasca fee uh [40:19] expiration approaching towards the end of september uh we would look forward to being able to share [40:24] our feedback and work with you senator uh on that yeah i'm i'm just going to take a couple more seconds to [40:30] pick uh pick that line up what what i'd like to know and we if we don't have time what priorities [40:35] should congress be focusing on so we can improve the program to to make sure when we're approving [40:41] the new tasca that it's more efficient sure i will definitely uh i'm happy whether it's in qfrs or [40:46] separately with your office like to talk to you about section 21 petitions like to talk to you about [40:52] the section 6 prioritization process uh there are a lot of details that could be incorporated in the [40:58] development of new legislation good and thanks once again for your attention to utah's issues [41:03] thank you senator padilla thank you i have a question for senator curtis does he spend much [41:08] more time in utah as he's as he has spent in california uh i appreciate your attention support [41:15] for the improvements in around the tijuana river uh number one uh on another positive note want to thank [41:21] you for uh having worked with local officials city and county folks after the fires in [41:28] the los angeles area last january both the palisades fire and the eaton fire uh more specifically [41:36] they were the largest of the footprint uh so the response and the aid in the immediate aftermath [41:42] was helpful was good was necessary but as you know uh there's still disaster aid pending for as [41:50] the communities are trying to rebuild it's been more than a year and so i'm wondering if on behalf of [41:55] the administration you know when we might uh expect that uh supplemental request for a consideration by [42:01] congress well i know senator that uh there was a meeting that i've heard nothing but positive feedback [42:08] from uh from both the white house as well as uh mayor bass uh county supervisor barger uh that meeting [42:15] last week i would imagine was um felt universally as a a good conversation to talk about uh insurance to [42:23] talk about banking and to talk about uh potential federal aid uh some of this is a request for with [42:30] fema that might not require a new uh act of congress part of this might be cdbg dr funding that will [42:37] require um i believe that the omb director was in that meeting as well and i also am under the [42:43] understanding that there was that there's been follow-up conversations as well um and i hate to cut [42:49] you off i do want to get to other issues but yes sir do we have a timetable i mean every weeks i i i [42:55] don't have a timetable i've been focused on epa's budget but uh i'm happy to continue uh to help [43:02] however possible um on any front related to the la rebuild okay i appreciate that uh now turning to [43:08] another issue or concern of delays i want to ask for your assistance in finalizing some long delayed [43:14] wifia loans for california water projects as you know wifia was initiated in the first trump [43:20] administration when it was thought to be better for taxpayers uh to support communities and projects [43:26] in the form of loans as opposed to grants uh epa told at least three california applicants the city [43:34] of hayward las virginas and valley water that their loans were on track for approval on specific dates [43:40] between eight and 12 months ago and as they were approaching those very specific dates that they [43:45] were given they were then notified that their applications were postponed indefinitely so happy [43:52] to supply you the specifics behind those applications and those projects but uh can i count on you to help [43:58] me get those wifia loans finalized and done i am happy to to check up on that i'll be in the office [44:05] tomorrow and i'll ask our team what the status is i appreciate that and uh in the in the last category [44:11] uh in my couple minutes left um as you know california is no stranger to polluted air i grew up with [44:17] it in southern california and i know so i know it firsthand um state and local regulators have done [44:26] everything they can to bring emissions down in every sector within their jurisdiction uh the largest [44:35] area to tackle here are emission sources that are in federal jurisdiction uh so we've been working [44:42] feverishly to try to get the federal government to do its job or conversely allow california to continue [44:49] to push the envelope as we're able to do through the waivers granted by the clean air act uh authorities [44:58] that the state of california had but no longer has because they were taken away by the republican majority [45:04] in congress last uh year in response to this waiver being declared some sort of rule that could be [45:11] overturned we can have the cra debate uh separately uh but what i want to know is i guess the bigger [45:20] picture just to set the tone here when you came in you promised the cleanest air in history do you [45:27] believe the air loss handles the air across the country is cleaner than when this administration started [45:33] yes uh the i've seen over the course of with the over the last few decades last couple of decades uh [45:39] we have been just last year just this last year yeah primarily i would give credit to the advancing [45:46] technology uh that we've seen across this country and and decisions that uh private actors uh have made [45:53] we've also started approving state implementation plans that were very much backlogged as well and i [45:59] believe that that's also part of that process i would point out i know this is a report issue with [46:03] senator for senator kelly and for uh senator curtis but we took down the guidance on 179b on the [46:08] international sources of air pollution so that we're not putting an area into non-attainment for [46:14] sources that are outside of their jurisdiction california is another example where a lot of the air [46:20] issues that you're experiencing there are actually coming from international sources another topic [46:25] where even though there might be a conflict and disagreement on other aspects and policy [46:29] approaches it's another area we might be able to work together no i i certainly hope so there's [46:34] a whole playbook there electrification of our port infrastructure uh railroad infrastructure emerging [46:39] locomotive technologies uh that we are happy to support the hydrogen hub in california the the [46:45] federal government has defunded while there's been this ample push uh to the department of energy and [46:51] department of interior on fossil fuel uh sources of electricity and not the renewable sources that [46:57] california has led on coupled with battery storage improving resiliency bringing down costs reducing [47:03] emissions there's a lot more we can do uh we need your support thank you senator wicker thank you thank [47:11] you madam chair there are four things i want to mention just briefly mr zelden um two by way of thanks [47:18] thank you for epa region four's help with detection of tce contamination in the bihalia area i mean in in uh [47:29] in in in the bihalia area of of south mississippi uh also uh very much appreciate epa's work [47:37] on jackson water the transfer of 54 million dollars of the operation account was a critical step for something that [47:45] has been going on for a long time uh also i want to mention this uh and and you and i have a difference [47:52] of opinion on this and um epa last august issued decisions on small refinery exemptions sres [48:04] some dating back to 2016 of course you were not in office back then uh granting some exemptions some [48:11] partial exemptions and denying some the statute says that epa must act within 90 days on getting back [48:20] with regard to sres i i hope you can assure us that that going forward you'll be making those [48:30] decisions in a timely manner uh senator that that is uh so very important as you just pointed out uh we [48:38] inherited a backlog of 175 uh small refinery exemption requests so getting through all of them at once [48:44] last august was a a many month process that started uh actually uh the moment that we got in uh there [48:51] have been some new sre requests that have come in since then that we're working through right now [48:57] expeditiously uh and we want to we're also starting to work on our fest set three already uh so as far as [49:05] this whole program goes uh being able to catch up uh and and and have certainty and reliability for you [49:11] and for your constituents it's an important goal and and so i've got three minutes left um let me just [49:17] say i i wish that in this room we could acknowledge that there's room for honest disagreements of opinion [49:30] on the science that we've been talking about today um senator whitehouse and i have been friends [49:36] for uh for uh for uh almost two decades and and there are there are people in this room that are so [49:45] convinced of the accuracy of their point of view that that they they somehow feel that if you disagree [49:53] you're up to villainy i wish we could get away from that um i i don't think it's helpful to say that [50:01] the only reason decision can be made is to help the president's rich friends or wealthy donors or [50:08] fossil fuel polluters and and and i at this point i want to give you the next two minutes to say what [50:16] you were trying to say um to to a number of questions that you were not given time to respond yeah no i [50:24] appreciate that a lot senator and when predictions are made in the past uh science uh will have a range [50:32] of the pessimistic to the optimistic and in order to justify for example the 2009 endangerment finding they [50:38] were adopting the most pessimistic views of the science now when you get to 2026 great news you're [50:45] able to rely on present day facts in 2026 rather than any bad assumptions from 2009 and just because [50:53] you take exception when a member of congress says in january of 2019 in 12 years the world's about to end [50:59] if we're sitting here today saying well gosh it's only four years and nine months left i don't think the [51:04] world is about to end they want to vilify you as if you're you're denying science i mean i just saw [51:11] a clip yesterday where al gore was uh was talking about global freezing i'm i i i'm having trouble [51:18] keeping up i thought it was global warming and now it's global freezing and i don't know what kind of [51:23] a grip i don't know what kind of money is is made you want to have making money off of a climate grift [51:28] well what won't get referenced by your colleagues on the opposite side of the aisle who bring up the [51:32] greenhouse gas reduction fund is that the money was going to former obama and biden officials [51:39] the money was going to democratic donors uh the the conflicts of interest that we saw the [51:48] amount of self-dealing the unqualified recipients uh climate united fund ceo was a special assistant [51:55] in the off in omb during the obama biden administration they received 6.9 billion dollars [52:01] if you could go down the list with that and today you go through the coalition for green capital [52:05] about a biden harris climate advisor serving on the board joining the board in 23 while the [52:11] organization was applying for ggrf uh power forward community ceo ceo of fannie mae during the obama [52:18] biden administration by the way if we had 10 more minutes i could just go through conflicts of [52:23] interest they're not offended by that so we we just want to stick to the truth we want to stick to [52:29] the science and if you don't agree with them you don't follow their logic well they'll want to [52:33] vilify you um but hey as long as we stay true to these facts it's good to good to go and i'm not [52:40] going to take morality lessons from people who join all you know all white country clubs um thank you [52:45] madam chair uh blount rochester thank you madam chairwoman and ranking member uh i also want to thank [52:56] senator kelly for giving me the time and uh thank you mr administrator for being here as well almost [53:03] 12 000 schools in the united states are within one mile of chemical facilities and one and three [53:10] children go to a school in a chemical zone could you talk to us a little bit about uh what you've done [53:17] over the past year um to address this issue and what you're proposing in this year your your proposed [53:25] budget to protect children well it's a really important topic that uh it has to be considered [53:32] as a factor uh when making decisions that in front of the agency that you know that there uh there are [53:39] there might be a chemical plant that might have some level of fence line emissions and you you have to [53:48] get the data on that fence line emission you have to analyze that as far as exposure level you have to [53:54] look at what exposure level to that chemical ends up causing adverse health impacts you have to [53:59] look at that unreasonable risk to workers to as you're pointing out the general population to the [54:05] environment and then you have to make a decision based on the science best on base best available [54:10] science uh and do a complete risk assessment which is a a four-step process i'm glad you mentioned [54:17] fence line communities um because this i think we maybe had this conversation even in my office [54:23] uh a year ago and i'm really concerned that the data is the point that you mentioned is really [54:30] necessary i know that um it's my understanding that the epa has proposed a rollback of the 2024 safer [54:38] communities by chemical accident prevention rule which would undercut the risk management practices [54:44] that make it easier for the public to find out information about chemical facilities in their communities [54:50] um it's it's my understanding as well there was a website uh one of your websites the rmp website [54:57] and it had a part of the page that said how to access risk management plan information really just a [55:05] way for people to get information but right now um it says the page is being updated and it's it's been [55:12] that way for a while so i'm not sure if you're familiar with that particular page but [55:17] if not today will you please uh provide us an update on the page when you think the page would be [55:23] back up and running and how to make sure that these communities can get information i'm happy to uh [55:30] check on the status of that webpage and we'll get right back to you okay thank you um i also believe [55:36] that it is critical um that americans have this information that they know the risks that they know [55:43] the steps to take to protect themselves and and that's why there's kind of a disconnect so to [55:49] the extent that we can i know we talk a lot about transparency to the extent that folks can have access [55:54] to that information i think it would be a good thing um i also wanted to um tack on to uh the [56:01] chairman capito's remarks about uh drinking water um just this week i had the opportunity to meet with [56:09] county executives county council people in my state and there was a lot of concern that the [56:15] president's budget eliminates nearly all funding for the clean water and drinking water state revolving [56:21] funds uh the primary source of water infrastructure funding in our country and your agency estimates a [56:28] funding gap of 625 billion dollars over the next two decades for drinking water infrastructure [56:34] alone waste water adds another 271 billion dollars and in my small state we could lose 90 million [56:43] dollars in cuts to srfs um states really can't afford this that that's what they shared with us and [56:50] especially when we're talking about rising costs whether for food or gas or anything else we people can't [56:55] afford one more higher bill so um i would love to ask uh for your commitment to working with us to [57:03] support our state revolving funds yes absolutely and we'll make sure that um that we're able to work [57:10] closely with each of you this includes by the way your congressionally directed spending uh without [57:15] opining on the merits of any of these individual uh requests that you make um i will just say that that [57:21] is the main reason why it hasn't been as revolving as maybe originally intended um but that's something [57:28] that is very important for us to be able to engage at your office on as far as getting that money out [57:33] yeah i think um you brought up the the um congressionally directed spending i think the [57:38] good thing about that it happened while i was in the house and i think you were in the house at the [57:42] same time that was bipartisan it was a bipartisan decision we are all uh making sure that our [57:49] constituents get the support they need but this revolving fund um according to the folks in my state [57:55] and my counties is crucial so looking forward to working with you i yield back thank you senator housted [58:02] thank you madam chairman um mr zelden i wanted to uh first of all thank you and your team for the [58:09] work that you've continued to do in east palestine to help the folks there who are you know still [58:15] monitoring the situation from the train derailment and uh you and your team have been fantastic and [58:20] so i want to thank you and make sure the people there know that they haven't been forgotten [58:24] uh i i also um love the conversation that we have because we've we've we've we've heard a lot in this [58:32] committee about energy prices and uh from my economics background i believe that supply and demand really [58:43] is what drives prices more than anything if you have high demand and low supply what's gonna happen [58:49] to the price it's gonna go up and um i also have always been somebody who's believed in all of the [58:56] above strategy on energy if if if in rhode island windmills make sense great i know that when i talk with [59:04] our grid operator in ohio about solar in january they said there are some days that it doesn't create [59:11] anything there's no energy that comes from it which means that you can't take days off so you have to [59:17] build all of that additional infrastructure to be ready on the coldest day of the year when the sun's not [59:23] shining and that's a fixed cost that whether you have solar or not you still have to pay for all of [59:30] that the the rate payers have to pay for all of it and um so we need as i understand more generation [59:40] to meet supply and demand more transmission lines um gas pipelines everything everything all of this [59:47] infrastructure that we all could do as congress to make it easier to drive down the prices make sure [59:54] people have the kind of energy mix that they want but we've made it harder because we haven't gotten [1:00:01] permitting reform done yet how important do you believe permitting reform would be to achieving [1:00:06] all the goals of the members of this committee i think it's a a very big opportunity to modernize [1:00:12] the clean air act there's opportunities to clean water act with nipa and more and i i think that that [1:00:20] one way to approach negotiations would be to pursue a bill that results in a permitting process that takes [1:00:27] less time costs less money and has more certainty and it's very easy to make a good bill bad by [1:00:33] injecting one idea that compromises any of those three we have no shortage of ideas uh we'd love to [1:00:39] be able to to work with uh this committee in that process uh there's a big opportunity with permitting [1:00:45] reform and the senate epw committee can uh absolutely lead the way and i know that how important this is to [1:00:50] your chairman yeah well i i was uh taking a look at ohio's uh electricity supply the other day and i [1:00:59] saw that during during the years of 2000 during the obama administration during the biden administration [1:01:06] we're a state that uses 18 gigawatts of power a day you know it's like peak demand and and 11 gigawatts [1:01:13] power were taken off of shut down during that time period i mean talk about creating a supply and demand [1:01:19] problem and i know that we you know collectively as a nation aspire to uh you know lower carbon [1:01:27] energy outputs to to deliver affordable reliable electricity but nuclear how you know as we're [1:01:34] looking to say hey we wanted we want to look at nuclear to replace some of these baseload operations [1:01:40] how important is permitting reform to getting that accomplished it's uh it's extremely important i [1:01:46] understand you know oh ohio uh is no stranger to to nuclear as yeah we have we have operations [1:01:52] enriching you know elect you know uranium building small modular nuclear reactors we we had a request [1:02:00] that came in to us to build a small modular reactor in tennessee that came to us november 24th and [1:02:09] we completed the process on december 1st now to buy an epa that might have taken three years [1:02:15] at the trump epa it took eight days uh that we have the power to really slow things down we also [1:02:21] have the power to speed things up and not to not to be biased but there's been a whole lot of you [1:02:26] heard a little bit from senator padilla as far as our uh our our travels and efforts inside of [1:02:30] california the amount of work uh with uh senator kelly and uh and the and the congressional delegation [1:02:37] in arizona on non-attainment issues in maricopa and elsewhere around the state there is a great [1:02:43] opportunity for epa to be able to engage with members of this committee to be able to achieve [1:02:50] important efficiencies that are available and that includes on the permitting reform front yeah well i [1:02:54] just want to conclude by just talking about how important this is because if we want to do more [1:02:59] made in america make more steel do more manufacturing we want to lead in ai and the digital economy [1:03:05] it's going to require more electricity and time the clock's ticking time is money if we want to [1:03:11] really make things more affordable we've got to get this accomplished thank you for being here [1:03:16] senator kelly thank you madam chair administrator zeldin thanks for being here i want to discuss [1:03:23] rules that limit hazardous air pollution during your confirmation hearing you said that the epa's mission [1:03:30] is and this is a quote simple but essential to protect human health and the environment [1:03:37] unquote now there can be times and we discussed this in phoenix you just mentioned non-attainment [1:03:43] when the rules and science a little bit uncertain and the rule book says some action needs to be taken [1:03:50] that may not make sense i agree but that's a rare exception sometimes the answer is pretty clear cut [1:03:58] take what's happening in the town of miama arizona it's a small mining town about 90 miles east of phoenix [1:04:08] freeport mack moran the mining company operates a smelter there and this smelter emits 12 tons of lead [1:04:17] and three tons of arsenic into the surrounding community every year that smelter is located about [1:04:24] a mile from an elementary school and it's less than a half a mile from a church in a residential [1:04:31] neighborhood here you can see the elementary school the swing that's the smelter in the upper left-hand [1:04:38] corner and we know what lead does to kids and mr zeldin i imagine you would not want your kids [1:04:45] attending that school i wouldn't want mine there or going to that church accordingly under epa's national [1:04:53] emission standards the facility was required to install a pollution control device called a bag [1:05:00] house and that would reduce toxic lead and arsenic emissions it's basically just a big vacuum cleaner bag [1:05:09] that would cost the mining company freeport mack moran about 60 million dollars to install one-time [1:05:15] cost and that's for a company that had a net profit of 2.7 billion dollars last year so 60 million [1:05:24] not a drop in the bucket it's just common sense that nobody wants their kids breathing in lead and [1:05:31] arsenic pollution i don't think anybody in here would want that i don't see anybody raising their hands [1:05:38] but freeport they don't have to install this bag house because last fall the company requested and [1:05:45] received a presidential exemption from these requirements through a new process that was set [1:05:53] up by your epa where a company could just email your staff and request an exemption no public process [1:06:00] no one asking the opinions of the parents whose kids go to that school who are breathing in that [1:06:07] pollution every day and section 112 of the clean air act says that waivers can only be granted if and [1:06:13] this is a quote the technology to implement such standards is not available and it is in the national [1:06:22] security interests of the united states to do so it's not an either or technology not available [1:06:29] national security interests has to be both so to this to the first requirement the air pollution [1:06:35] control technology clearly exists and has been used for decades including at the other smelter still [1:06:43] operating in the united states it's in utah to the second requirement somebody could argue the national [1:06:49] national security connection until you consider that we're talking about here is installing a routine [1:06:56] pollution control device that keeps kids from breathing in lead that's exactly what environmental protections [1:07:04] are designed to do so administrator zeldin given this waiver fails both of the tests that are laid out in [1:07:13] the law and more importantly fails the basic duty to protect human health how was that legal well first [1:07:22] off with regards to a section 112 presidential exemptions as i'm sure you're well aware presidential [1:07:27] exemptions are made by the president our role is to accept the submission and transmit it to the white [1:07:33] house that was the extent of our role consistent with the statute the white house has publicly posted [1:07:38] the proclamations and annexes listing the sources that received exemptions including the [1:07:43] actions on april 8th july 17th october 24th november 21st at 25 on the bigger topic of lead uh it's a [1:07:51] an extraordinarily important topic as it relates to children's health as it led in in drinking water [1:07:58] on land uh and and much more and uh the agency takes it extraordinarily seriously and there's a lot of [1:08:05] accomplishments that we're proud of well here's the thing though your agency created a website [1:08:11] specifically to invite companies to fast track waiver requests and a foyer request shows that the [1:08:19] company spoke with your staff to coordinate this request this wasn't just like something for the [1:08:25] president that the president did your epa may not be granting the exemptions but you went through great [1:08:32] lengths to make sure that that was facilitated so i mean this is a mile away from a school this thing is [1:08:42] spewing out 12 tons of lead every single year the bag cost 60 million dollars mr zeldin can i get a [1:08:51] commitment from you to fix this can you go to the president and say hey we made a mistake i mean this [1:09:01] this was not companies have responsibilities in these communities can i get a commitment from you [1:09:07] to work with my office work with the president to undo this just for my own background because this [1:09:13] first time we're talking about it do you know if anyone from your team has raised this to ours [1:09:18] before now or is this the first time that we're engaging on this topic well it's the first time we [1:09:23] are engaged we are and we've engaged in other topics plenty of top this is a serious issue for [1:09:28] the community in miama i i hope that um at this point after all of the many other topics that you've [1:09:34] engaged us with that we've been able to very successfully work together on i'll just tell you my role has [1:09:40] been on these exemptions to receive and transmit uh pursuant to the statute if there's something [1:09:46] specific beyond that uh you know it's merits a follow-up conversation but it's not familiar that [1:09:53] it wasn't i'm not aware of you from what we know it wasn't just receive the website was set up there [1:09:58] was coordination with your staff you you provide no recommendation to the white house on this at all [1:10:04] i transmit and submit i receive and transmit but your job is to look out for the health of the [1:10:09] american people just following the statute but how about the kids that go to that school and people [1:10:16] that go to that church i mean i i would love to have an opportunity to try to solve this problem [1:10:21] it's 60 million dollars to a company that made 2.7 billion this administration i'm not saying you [1:10:27] specifically i'm saying this administration the white house put the profits of that company over the [1:10:34] health of those children the only the only issue is as i sit here i i i don't have the i would like [1:10:40] to have the information about the company and the technology and we will we will get it to you [1:10:44] about because i'm not as i sit here it's the first time that anyone has raised it we will we [1:10:49] will get you all the information thank you uh thank you chairman i'm sorry the ranking member is [1:10:57] here because uh i'd like to uh but because we're talking a little bit about some of this stuff uh [1:11:02] administrator zellen thank you very much for being here really appreciate uh the good work you've been [1:11:06] doing you and your team have got some great things to recognize so i really appreciate what [1:11:11] you've done in the first year as the chairman know i love this committee because we talk about [1:11:15] biofuels and we're going to do that in a moment but i also want a chance to talk a little bit about [1:11:21] my home state nebraskan power generation because the ranking member was making a big deal about [1:11:25] nine cents a kilowatt hour for the renewables that he was referencing uh gerald gentleman plant in [1:11:31] nebraska is a coal burning plant and it generates electricity for three cents an hour so by his [1:11:38] logic we should be using coal plants all over the place uh to be able to generate because if you're [1:11:43] just going to take the cost of kilowatt hour nine versus three three is a third of nine so it's much [1:11:50] less expensive and i would also point out that nebraska according to the epa is uh you acknowledge that [1:11:55] uh we are maintaining the national ambient air quality standards so nebraska's got clean air [1:12:03] one of the other ways we can help clean up the air is with biofuels oh and by the way i also [1:12:08] we're not like all like we're all the above as i think it was uh uh senator husted uh referenced [1:12:15] we're all the above we actually about 30 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources which [1:12:21] is much higher than just about any state on the east coast including rhode island rhode island i think is [1:12:26] about 12 percent so we're on all the above state but let's talk about biofuels for a moment because [1:12:33] that is uh something that i care about as well we've talked about a lot under your leadership the epa has [1:12:39] a lot uh done a lot for biofuels and we have a lot of biofuel wins from your agency as you've moved to [1:12:45] finish some of these things across the line i commend the epa for your historic 2026 and 2027 rvos [1:12:53] and for putting forward the highest biomass diesel volumes the program has ever seen second thank [1:13:00] you for issuing temporary the temporary emergency waiver to allow for the sale of e15 all year round [1:13:06] and your support for that is evident we appreciate everything you've done to reduce the cost of living [1:13:12] including actions to allow cheaper e10 and e15 the last time i filled up the pump with a e10 blend i was [1:13:20] saving about 45 cents a gallon so administrator zelden as we work to expand access uh to more [1:13:26] affordable options at the pump is there anything that is holding up ensuring that these types of [1:13:30] actions are realized for all americans the uh the reality the backstory of uh and i appreciate everything [1:13:39] you just said as far as the actions that we've taken uh i understand how very disproportionate uh your [1:13:45] time and effort i know you you don't have uh any regret about spending so much time advocating to epa [1:13:52] uh you're doing that on behalf of your constituents uh it would be easier it would be easier for you to [1:13:58] advocate for other things if you didn't have to be advocating all year long to epa to get all these [1:14:02] different approvals and i know that i mean this is a congressional process uh there are conversations [1:14:08] that are going on um but we have said yes uh along the way with all these requests that have come in [1:14:16] we inherited that blown deadline on rvos we've blown we inherited the uh the backlog on sres we finished s [1:14:22] uh rfs set two we've moved on rfs set three uh the problem is is that all year long you have to keep [1:14:28] coming to us and asking for that next approval uh i would love uh to be able to get to a new uh reality [1:14:35] where you wouldn't have to spend that time uh making that uh those those asks which you do so passionately [1:14:41] for your constituents yeah so do i well you know after years of uncertainty it's encouraging to see [1:14:45] the administration that that you understand what the rfs was designed to support which is rural economy [1:14:52] and support american manufacturing and strengthen american energy dominance [1:14:56] in nebraska we've seen this investment firsthand my home state is uh got two new soybean processing [1:15:03] plants uh two of the newest in the nation helping provide stable markets for nebraska and neighboring [1:15:08] states soybean farmers and very important at a time when commodity prices are low [1:15:13] this strengthens and anchors nebraska's communities it supports good jobs and uh the [1:15:18] farmers who are the backbone of rural america in addition to supporting our farmers your support [1:15:23] for the import rin reduction reflects a policy that prioritizes domestic feed stocks the commitment [1:15:30] to implement this reduction beginning in 2028 is a long overdue correction that will help ensure [1:15:35] program the program rewards american farmers as congress intended and will also limit the ability [1:15:40] of foreign governments to use our farmers as leverage for political gain now we're looking to for [1:15:45] at the next set of rvo's in 2028 administrators zelden can we expect the 2028 rvo's to be finalized [1:15:52] by november 1st according to the statutory deadline i would absolutely love for that to happen as soon [1:15:58] as we finished rfs set two we immediately moved on to rfs set three we'll have to put a proposal out we're [1:16:03] also resolving the small refinery exemption requests that have come in since last august uh the the [1:16:10] reality is is that when rfs set three is done we're going to be back on schedule as far as the exact date [1:16:17] of when rfs set three will be done the goal is as soon as possible we're working on it right now well i [1:16:22] know that again you mentioned already that you had to clear the backlog from the bide administration which [1:16:26] was like a year late in putting out these rvo's so i appreciate that you've got a lot of work to do to [1:16:32] catch up but i strongly encourage you to hit the november 1st deadline thank you madam chair thank [1:16:37] you senator markey thank you madam chair uh thanks to uh trump's war on iran gasoline prices have shot [1:16:45] up by a buck 20 per gallon and are now above four dollars and 20 cents a gallon nationwide that's more [1:16:52] than six hundred dollars a year for an average american driver drivers are feeling trump at the pump [1:17:01] every day and that feeling is going to be supercharged by your evisceration of the vehicle greenhouse gas [1:17:08] emission standards now i'm not going to fight with you today about whether this rollback is legal [1:17:14] i don't think it is these standards are based on the endangerment finding which states that the [1:17:20] scientific fact that greenhouse gases cause climate change which endangers our health [1:17:25] and the supreme court in massachusetts versus epa found that greenhouse gases are air pollutants and [1:17:32] epa should regulate their dangers through the clean air act of power you agreed with you agree with when [1:17:39] you were a member of congress in 2019 no that's not what i said against any effort to defund enforcement [1:17:44] of the endangerment finding but as epa administrator you said last year that you were quote driving a [1:17:51] dagger into the heart of the climate change religion a very movie villain way of announcing the foregone [1:17:58] conclusion of the endangerment finding review before it was even finished the only thing that's been [1:18:04] changing faster than our climate is your position on it and i'm also uh not going to fight with you [1:18:12] today about whether the vehicle standards rollback will increase harms from air pollution and climate [1:18:19] change because it will i'm going to call out the sales fraud that the epa is committing against the [1:18:28] american people by hiding the fact that this rollback is going to hike up costs for drivers and it's your own [1:18:36] regulatory analysis found this rollback is going to increase costs by 180 billion dollars based on [1:18:44] projections for future fuel costs that don't even account for trump's new war on iran tax at the pump [1:18:53] with this dramatic buck 20 a gallon you're going to talk about all the other models that have different [1:18:56] numbers without even calculating a penny for health or environment costs to americans so when americans hear you [1:19:05] talking about trillions in savings and wonder why they still can't pay the bills why it's more [1:19:11] expensive to fill up their tank or why they're spending more on inhalers and home risk insurance [1:19:17] it's because when the math really gets added up the cost of these climate and environmental rollbacks comes [1:19:22] out of their pockets at the kitchen table and i'm going to talk a little bit about health care costs as well [1:19:29] because when analyzing the standards for dangerous air pollution the epa now assigns no value to american [1:19:37] lives that would be saved by protection action now you tweeted that this was quote fake news but an epa [1:19:46] spokesperson actually confirmed the reporting saying that the agency is quote not monetizing the impacts [1:19:53] on health this isn't rhetoric american lives have become literally worthless a value of zero in the eyes of [1:20:01] your epa and similarly on monday you said that the health impacts of the epa's repeal on mercury and toxic [1:20:11] air pollution quote could be zero well again the epa's own analysis from february said that the rollback [1:20:22] means more mercury more arsenic lead heavy metals and soot will get into our hand into our air into [1:20:31] our lungs that's epa's conclusion how much the health impacts the health impacts could be zero [1:20:37] want to talk about it you assign no value to american lives but i think any worried mom or concerned american [1:20:46] would rightfully question whether more mercury arsenic and soot in the air could have zero health [1:20:53] impacts for their children so look at who gets counted as valuable by your epa trump's epa it's not [1:21:01] the kids with asthma it's not the grandparents with heart disease but it's big polluters uh whose costs [1:21:10] get counted in your equation not working americans not vulnerable families those are the ones who are going [1:21:18] to be paying the price for this dagger this knife that you're bringing to the heart of the protections [1:21:26] uh which have been in place for a generation for our americans yeah there's a price that's going to be [1:21:31] paid and it's going to be paid for by the health of every family in our country filibustering himself [1:21:41] senator sullivan thank you madam chair and uh administrator zeldin i just want to thank you for [1:21:47] i think you're doing a great job and uh number one you're showing respect to my constituents [1:21:52] the people that live in alaska and i'm going to get into that on a whole host of issues first by showing [1:21:58] up remember you uh during your confirmation hearing saying you said you're going to come come to alaska [1:22:04] number of times not just in july but you want to come when it's cold and dark as possible [1:22:10] and you are in fairbanks alaska in february and i think it was 30 below zero and it's dark um [1:22:16] my toes are just starting to thaw out so thank you for that um and thank you for um listening to [1:22:23] my constituents you know uh emma polkin is doing a great job at region 10 so thank you for uh hiring [1:22:29] her this of course i've shown this many times uh the previous administration didn't listen to my [1:22:34] constituents that's the last frontier lockup what is that next slide there that's the 70 executive orders [1:22:41] 7-0 from the biden administration singularly and exclusively focused on alaska we didn't ask for [1:22:48] them we didn't want them and um you're helping get us out from underneath that why does that matter [1:22:55] let me get the next slide i'm not sure that's gonna so i've shown this before too you know senator [1:23:02] markey's talking about life uh this is really important to me uh all my colleagues in the biden [1:23:08] administration that want to shut down the economy of alaska resource development in alaska uh they [1:23:15] they forget about this chart in in a quick nutshell you've seen it before mr administrator but i i it's [1:23:22] really important to show it when people have the ability to have a strong economy to develop their [1:23:27] resources um responsibly as they have in the north slope of alaska in the northwest uh part uh northwest [1:23:36] arctic borough in alaska not on the aleutian island chain they live longer a lot longer my constituents [1:23:44] from 1980 to 2014 life expectancy went up almost by 13 years nothing more important than that [1:23:53] and uh so when you're out there and you're seeing it the work you're doing um it actually helps save [1:24:01] lives so i appreciate it and um that's what's happening in my state so just last weekend i was in [1:24:09] wasilla alaska visiting a veteran-owned diesel mechanic shop that was raided swat style 30 epa [1:24:16] agents by the biden administration with this young man um who's now a convicted felon not because he put [1:24:24] anyone at risk because he was keeping essential diesel vehicles running in the unforgiving cold [1:24:31] conditions of my state we had a hearing here thank you madam chair for that hearing on my bill [1:24:36] relating to this but you've already taken administrative action uh mr administrator on [1:24:42] this death issue where essentially an obama administration regulation shuts down diesel engines [1:24:51] at 12 degrees which is a balmy day in alaska um the hearing was very powerful because it showed the [1:25:00] giant risk to lives and safety because of that can you give me an update on where you are on that [1:25:05] important issue i know you heard about in fairbanks uh but it's not just an alaska issue it's any place [1:25:10] that's got cold weather absolutely last august at the iowa state fair along with small business [1:25:15] administrator kelly leffler and secretary rollins senator ernst we announced a significant reversal [1:25:22] of the deratements through new epa guidance in february we sent out demand letter for information to [1:25:28] 14 engine manufacturers on their warranty data so that we can rely upon that information for future [1:25:34] decisions we also issued out right to repair guidance so that farmers and others can be repairing [1:25:41] their own farm equipment that's part of this package of deaf actions the president recently announced [1:25:47] new actions on deaf epa guidance got rid of the deaf sensors no longer required and now we're moving [1:25:53] on to our 2027 knox proposal which as of now we are intending to propose to completely eliminate all [1:26:01] deratements uh we were heard from the hall truckers of alaska uh we're considering their feedback uh not [1:26:07] just with diesel exhaust fluid but specifically uh with the filters uh their insight has been incredible [1:26:14] your staff was with us in fairbanks um while you're you're doing your your job uh and it was a very good [1:26:21] visit we will not forget the hall truckers we will not forget how important this issue is in alaska and [1:26:26] quite frankly i'm sure you wouldn't let us forget thank you and i appreciate that and uh i'll tell you [1:26:30] you got truckers but ambulance drivers uh firefighters in fairbanks they wrote a letter uh as part of our [1:26:38] our testimony um another quick issue that so you're listening and we appreciate that uh mr administrator [1:26:46] um i want to just very quickly uh the wotus rule as it relates to clear predictable boundaries for land [1:26:55] owners project developers uh particularly particularly in my state as you know um uh over half of all [1:27:03] wetlands in america are located in alaska but i know you've worked to clarify that particularly as it [1:27:11] relates to permafrost which is a big issue is that something uh you're going to finalize soon and again [1:27:17] thank you for listening to the unique aspects of alaskans uh who have big challenges with that rule [1:27:25] senator we we heard you loud and clear heard from other alaskans loud and clear it's been great to [1:27:30] see permafrost uh not just in june but also in the middle of the winter uh we're definitely taking [1:27:37] your advocacy strongly into consideration reviewing the public comments and preparing a final decision [1:27:43] good thank you very much thank you senator schiff thank you madam chair uh mr zelden uh you came out to [1:27:50] uh southern california uh to observe the tijuana river crisis i appreciate that uh i had an early [1:27:58] meeting with commissioner chad mcintosh and he was hopeful that we might achieve uh the goal of 50 million [1:28:06] gallons a day expansion for the south bay treatment plant by 2027 which was an accelerated timetable [1:28:13] which made uh californians very uh encouraged uh but i read an article recently in the coronado news [1:28:21] that stated that the ibwc recently told the san diego regional water quality control board the [1:28:27] timeline for achieving that 50 million gallons a day expansion may slip from 2027 now to 2030. [1:28:36] the administration had also said it would achieve an additional expansion to 75 million gallons by 2031. [1:28:43] i wanted to ask if you're aware of this slippage is that accurate it's not accurate i'm aware of the [1:28:47] story uh and i saw it i asked the questions um before today and uh they are committed to uh slashing [1:28:57] that that timeline i was told uh rather um confidently that uh that that was not accurate when that one [1:29:05] staffer said 2030. so you think we can still meet the 2027 goal uh that is what i am being told um i'm going to [1:29:15] make sure that we're staying on top of it um but um the question i asked about the 2030 uh was strong [1:29:23] pushback that that was not accurate uh and as far as whatever is needed from epa whatever might be [1:29:30] community need to be communicated to congress or elsewhere inside of the executive branch um we want [1:29:36] to make sure that that big project is done that now as you're well aware uh last summer we expedited the [1:29:42] two-year timeline to get the expansion of 35 done in 100 days uh and that was great that we were able [1:29:49] to ramp it up to 35 as quickly as we can getting this next part done is going to be important in [1:29:54] order to achieve a permanent uh solution a 100 solution to the tijuana river sewage crisis do you think [1:30:02] there's a an opportunity um ahead of us that we can use the july 2025 mou that you negotiated with mexico and [1:30:12] the minute 333 agreement is an opportunity with usmca to get any further guarantees or put in any [1:30:18] further safeguards to make sure that mexico expends the resources it is committed to to addressing it's [1:30:24] part of this problem so this is a really important point uh that i've been asked from the beginning my [1:30:29] first trip to the san diego area as administrator was april of last year mou was agreed in july the minute [1:30:35] was agreed this past december since the mou was signed and especially since the minute was uh was signed we [1:30:41] have been tracking every mexico side obligation project they have been uh spending the they've been [1:30:47] obligating the money that they said they were going to obligate on time and they're doing the projects [1:30:52] that they said that they were going to do on time we are staying on top of it daily [1:30:56] and i have not a single uh blown deadline to report so i was i've been asked the whole time like [1:31:03] about the the stick because the way i was communicating the entire time sounded a lot like a carrot like [1:31:09] we want to work with mexico to get this resolved and mexico the shine bomb administration and alicia [1:31:14] barcena was communicating their interest in making it their top priority and it was their first agreement [1:31:20] between the shine bomb administration after president trump was sworn back in [1:31:24] but as long as they're meeting those obligations i don't want to communicate that we need an additional [1:31:29] stick however what you are referencing as it relates to future negotiations i am very confident that [1:31:37] at any point if there is a slippage that other options will be considered well i appreciate that [1:31:42] uh thanks for uh any effort you can make to try to keep us on track uh with a problem that's gone [1:31:47] away too long let me turn to a different subject matter um administrator when you testified before [1:31:53] the committee last year as well as in your written responses you were adamant that epa conducted a [1:32:00] quote individualized review of every single one of the hundreds of grants that epa canceled [1:32:05] um a great many were in california but a great many were in other states as well [1:32:11] you told the committee in response to senator whitehouse's questioning i conducted an individual [1:32:15] review of everything you told house energy and commerce committee quote i was the one who made the [1:32:21] decision i made the decision after doing an individual review of every grant specifically [1:32:26] and i sent a question for the record in which you responded epa terminated grants on an individualized [1:32:32] basis so my question is these grant cancellations are being challenged in court um recently judge [1:32:41] richard gergel of the u.s district court in the district of south carolina ruled that epa likely [1:32:47] violated the administration administrative procedures act because epa quote failed to produce a single [1:32:53] document showing any individualized review of plaintiffs grants so my question is do you stand by your [1:33:00] testimony that you did an individualized review of all of the grants a thousand percent and [1:33:05] actually on these lit the litigation cases while i'm not allowed to talk about individual litigation [1:33:09] when i can reference is uh because senator whitehouse pointed to it when we heard last year there are [1:33:15] declarations that were submitted now senator whitehouse only pointed to one declaration of one case [1:33:20] with uh while ignoring the other declarations of that case as well as all the other declarations of [1:33:25] all the other cases i would point you to the declarations submitted by career staffers who were involved [1:33:29] in the individualized review the other staffers of uh the other declarations of political appointees who [1:33:36] were part of that process for individualized reviews every single grant went through an individualized [1:33:42] review i i i was reviewing a sheet that had everything uh individualized on it when making those decisions [1:33:49] then why was that sheet provided to the court why would the court find if that was the case there are [1:33:54] judges every single day across this country that uh that that reach decisions that uh show that so [1:34:02] was this information provided to the court i i i can't i can't speak to let me just ask this [1:34:07] anything beyond the declarations however you i would imagine it was will you provide that documentation [1:34:12] to this committee showing the individualized review sure it's a the document um i if if it's not part of [1:34:20] what was submitted to the uh to the court which i don't know why it would have been um you'll submit [1:34:25] it to the committee yeah okay i i'd be surprised i'm actually looking at something that was submitted [1:34:31] to the court that looks uh pretty darn individualized well as long as you're committed to submitting it to [1:34:37] this committee uh i will yield back yeah i i have it right here okay thank you senator sullivan has asked [1:34:44] and i'm going to grant his request and give him another two and a half minutes for question thank you uh madam [1:34:50] chair and uh administrator i want to follow up on an issue you and i've talked about it's a issue that [1:34:57] i'm very passionate about you've done a great job on this this is a issue of water and sewer uh for [1:35:04] communities in alaska we still have over 30 communities in my state that don't have uh running [1:35:11] water or flush toilets a lot of people in america would be surprised by that are the richest country in [1:35:16] the world and we have these communities you've seen a number of them by the way some of the most [1:35:20] patriotic communities in the country because alaska natives serve at higher rates in the military [1:35:27] than any other ethnic group in the country and yet uh we still have places in my state that people don't [1:35:35] have basic running water that's one of the reasons why when there is development you see a great [1:35:42] increase in life expectancy so can you commit to continue to work with me and this committee on [1:35:50] drinking water in wastewater infrastructure programs particularly in rural alaska making that a top [1:35:58] priority the epa does have some good programs sometimes they're a little bit uh encumbered in red [1:36:05] tape to get the money out but i i'd like to get your commitment to continue to work with me on that [1:36:12] it's a very important issue for me absolutely uh senator uh the the alaska rural native village [1:36:19] infrastructure program awarded 40 million fy25 to 14 uh different projects uh serving 1700 alaskan [1:36:27] homes we anticipate 39 million for the program in fy 2026 uh to be able to maintain the current level [1:36:34] of wastewater and drinking water infrastructure and just this past friday we announced 90 million to [1:36:39] strengthen water infrastructure for tribes and rural communities which will go to support small rural [1:36:45] and tribal communities the communities that you have long championed great thank you that's a great [1:36:49] answer and then finally somewhat related this is another issue we've worked on i think you've seen [1:36:55] it firsthand in alaska in 1971 congress passed the alaska native claims settlement act what we call [1:37:03] angsa which conveyed 44 million acres of land federal land that's the size of north dakota to um the alaska [1:37:12] native people the largest land settlement probably certainly in america but in probably in the history [1:37:17] of the world for native people to alaska native regional corporations and village corporations to settle [1:37:25] the aboriginal land claims of the alaska native people very very historic very successful but um a lot of [1:37:35] these lands over 1100 sites that were transferred by the federal government were polluted so the feds [1:37:44] send the alaska native people here's your land um you owe it in fee simple which is great but a lot of [1:37:50] it was contaminated and we've worked hard on this committee in a bipartisan way believe it or not [1:37:56] certain epas not you guys then went to these alaska native corporations said hey we're going to sue [1:38:00] you under circla to clean up your land and they were like wait you gave us the polluted land so this [1:38:07] committee fixed that they're no longer liable under circla the fact that the epa even contemplated them [1:38:13] being liable under circla was crazy um i did notice that the um contaminated angsa lands assistance [1:38:21] program in the president's budget this year was fully funded so i want to thank you on that but [1:38:28] can you continue again to work with me and this committee on this issue which is you know a real [1:38:34] injustice right here's the land alaska native people oh by the way it's fully polluted so you [1:38:40] can't use it and so we need to help with the feds not just in funding but creative ways that we've [1:38:46] talked about maybe you know um uh mitigation banks and uh um other approaches that could help bring the [1:38:56] private sector in to help cleaning up these lands but uh the land kind of sits unused of course because [1:39:04] it's polluted and that certainly wasn't the part of the bargain that the native people of alaska [1:39:09] thought they were getting when we passed this historic legislation in 1971. yes senator uh thank you for [1:39:17] making sure that this always is a top priority for uh region 10. we are working with the alaska [1:39:24] department of environmental conservation plus 10 alaska native entities on 11 projects currently [1:39:30] estimated to total 24 million in cleanup work we're actively working on several projects for funding in [1:39:36] 2026 as well as in 2027 and we're continuing to streamline our process uh epa as well as alaska [1:39:44] department of environmental conservation alaska native tribal health consortium and alaska native [1:39:50] village corporation association are continuing to provide support to alaska native entities through [1:39:55] field work site planning and proposal development in total we're aware of the approximately 1200 [1:40:02] contaminated sites identified on lands conveyed uh through the federal government uh and we look [1:40:09] forward to continuing to work with you now and into the future on this great well i appreciate the [1:40:13] cooperation as a matter of fact i'm going to be home in a couple days saturday night is the big annual [1:40:18] fundraiser for the alaska native tribal health consortium you just mentioned them they do great [1:40:24] work on this they do great work on the um water and sewer issues we just talked about so i'll pass on the [1:40:30] greetings but again thank you for listening to my constituents these are very unique challenges but [1:40:35] when the federal government's helping them you get this you get people who live longer live longer [1:40:42] and uh i asked my colleagues on the other side of the aisle give me a policy indicator of success [1:40:48] more important than the people you represent are living longer and i think the answer is there [1:40:52] isn't one that's more important than anything and you're helping in that regard so i appreciate it [1:40:57] thank you madam chair welcome thank you uh well thank you mr administrator there's no further questions [1:41:03] i would certainly like to thank you uh for being here this afternoon and for your candid answers and [1:41:08] very informative answers and all of my colleagues who have since left us for their participation in [1:41:13] today's hearing uh senators who wish to submit written questions for the record have until 5 p.m on [1:41:18] wednesday uh may 13th to do so the witness responses to these questions are due back to this committee no [1:41:25] later than 5 p.m on wednesday may 27th and will be submitted for the record before the hearing adjourns i [1:41:31] would like to um ask the administer the uh folks in the audience to uh remain seated until the administrator [1:41:39] and his staff have exited the hearing room i certainly appreciate that cooperation and with that this [1:41:44] hearing is adjourned thank you