Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Farm Aid's 2011 benefit concert. Each year, Farm Aid organizes a concert to bring together a wide variety of musicians, farmers and fans for one mission: ``keeping family farmers on their land.''

Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp established the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to educate farm

owners about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. The Farm Aid concert is the longest running benefit series concert in America. The organization raised more than $39 million to endorse a resilient family farm system of agriculture by ``promoting food from family farms, growing the Good Food Movement, helping farmers thrive, and taking action to change the system.''

Farm Aid 2011 was held at the Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on August 13th. The event showcased homegrown concessions featuring local, organic, or family farm sourced ingredients. The board members, along with other acclaimed artists, helped in promoting the organization and its mission of protecting family owned farms. The board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, David Matthews along with other artists such as Jason Mraz, Jamey Johnson, Jakob Dylan, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Will Dailey & the Rivals, Billy Joe Shaver, Robert Francis, Ray Price, Rebecca Pidgeon, Heart of Darkness, John Trudell, and the Blackwood Quartet gave their time and talent to help family farmers who are under extreme economic pressure.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Farm Aid 2011 for helping family farmers thrive all over the country while inspiring millions of people to learn about the importance of maintaining family owned farms.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Bernadine P. Healy, one of the seminal figures in the health community.

Dr. Healy was born on August 2, 1944 in New York City, the daughter of Michael and Violet Healy. She graduated from Hunter High School in 1962 and proceeded to graduate from Vassar College in 3 years. She then went on to Harvard Medical School, from which she graduated in 1970. Following postdoctoral work, she became a full-time professor in 1982 at Johns Hopkins University, where she was the cardiac director from 1976 to 1984.

In 1984 she was the deputy science adviser to President Ronald Reagan. From 1985 to 1991 she directed research and practiced cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which was directed by her husband, Dr. Floyd D. Loop. She also served as president of the American Heart Association from 1988 to 1989.

Bernadine was the first woman to run the National Institutes of Health, a role which she held from 1991 to 1993. She became well-known for her intensity and capacity to innovate. She challenged conventional wisdom regarding women's health, especially the belief that coronary conditions were largely concerns for men. In response, she began the Women's Health Initiative, a study that focused on the causes, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women. Even though her role ended, the study continues to produce findings that affect the way the world views what is considered to be ``healthy.''

Dr. Healy was also the first physician to lead the American Red Cross, dean of the Ohio State University medical school from 1995 to 1999, and an adviser to President George W. Bush on bioterrorism.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Dr. Bernadine P. Healy, a vital figure in the health community and a woman whose contributions to women's health benefited millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Rocco J. Colonna on the occasion of his passing.

Rocco ``Rocky'' Colonna was an Ohio state legislator. He served from 1975 to 1998 in the Ohio General Assembly in the House of Representatives. During that tenure, he served as the chairman of the House Economic Development and Small Business Committee. In 1998, he was appointed by former Governor George Voinovich to serve on the Liquor Board for the State of Ohio as Commissioner. Additionally, he was a councilman for the City of Brook Park.

In all that he did, Mr. Colonna made sure that he treated everyone around him with dignity and respect. He is remembered by colleagues for always having a joke ready and was universally liked in the House, an accomplishment.

Aside from his political career, Rocco was a veteran of the Korean War, having served in the United States Navy. Additionally, he was married for 54 years to Shirley (nee Meyer). Surviving Rocky are his brother Vito; his children, Tina Montagino and Lavaine Cates; his son Danny, who followed his father into politics and is currently a city councilman in Brook Park; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Mr. Rocco J. Colonna, a man whose unending duty to the State of Ohio and to this great nation is something to which we should all aspire.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Private Donald D. Owens, a loyal son and true patriot of the United States of America. Private Owens lost his life on October 9, 1944 during World War II when his M-10 tank was attacked outside of Luneville, France. His life reflected an unwavering devotion to his country and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Pvt. Donald Owens was raised in Navarre, Ohio where he attended elementary school. He later relocated to Cleveland, Ohio with his father prior to starting high school. He attended James Ford Rhodes high school, where a yearbook and numerous school events have been named in his honor. Before receiving his diploma, Pvt. Owens opted to enlist in the army.

He fought with the 773rd Tank Battalion in France, and tragically lost his life during the final battle for Parroy Forest. For sixty-six years following Owens' death his remains were unable to be located. Pvt. Owens' name can be found among the 443 others on the Tablets of the Missing in the Lorraine American Cemetery.

Sixty-six years after Pvt. Owens lost his life, a French farmer, Gerard Louis, discovered a set of dog tags in the countryside. After contacting Sue Bennis, a Westlake, Ohio librarian, efforts to reconnect with Owens's family began immediately. His closest living relative is his sister-in-law, Lori Owens, who lives in Mobile, Alabama, the widow of Donald's late brother Gerald Owens. On May 16, 2011 Lori was greeted by two Army officers with a folded American flag and a bronze urn containing Donald's remains. A funeral ceremony will be held on August 23, 2011 at Arlington Cemetery to remember Donald's efforts during World War II.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Mr. Donald D. Owens, a true hero that embodies the American spirit. I offer my deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will always be remembered by those who knew and loved him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Tony Petkovsek on the 50th anniversary of his Polka music radio show. Deemed ``Cleveland's Polka Ambassador,'' he has worked tirelessly to advance Slovenian culture and Polka music both in Cleveland and around the world.

Starting in August of 1961, Tony began broadcasting a polka music radio show fused with interviews and discussions on the Cleveland community. Tony was also instrumental in establishing the United Slovenian Society and Greater Cleveland and the USS Concert.

In addition to his career, Tony uses polka as a vehicle to perform invaluable community service. Through his Cleveland Slovenian Radio Club's ``Radiothons,'' Tony has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Slovene Home for the Aged which helps elderly members of Cleveland's Slovenian-American community receive various therapies as well as recreation activities and entertainment. He has also helped form many cultural organizations in Cleveland such as the United Slovenian Society of Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland-Slovenian Radio Club.

Tony has received countless accolades and awards throughout his long and selfless career. He has served on the Ohio Arts Council and in 1991 was inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in Akron. He has received the Slovenian Man of the Year Award from the Federation of Slovenian homes. This year he is being inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please rise to honor Mr. Tony Petkovsek on the 50th anniversary of his radio show and his recent induction into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. He is a staple of Polka culture and is a vital member of the Slovenian-American community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my deep condolences to the people of Norway with respect to the recent tragedy which took the lives of innocent citizens, many of them children.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has wisely observed that the people of Norway are ``unused to violence in your quiet country of 4.8 million'' and that they ``must struggle with how to improve security without jeopardizing the freedom and openness of your society.'' I commend his courage and encourage the people of Norway to embrace his wisdom.

While the horror of what has happened can carve a dark hole in the hearts of the people of Norway, each person has the power and the strength to heal those who have lost their loved ones through their individual commitment to remain open to each other. Each citizen can choose not to let those who would divide their nation sow their seeds of doubt, hate and division.

As we mourn the loss we ask the people of Norway to remember that their country has many admirers. On several occasions during the last decade the nation of Norway has been recognized as the best country in which to live. This compassionate country built a public health care system that cares for all of its citizens. Their nation created an education system that sets their literacy rate at almost 100 percent. Their understanding of the importance of family provides parental benefits and paternity leave for the first full year in the life of a newborn child.

As the citizen's of Norway already demonstrate in their daily interactions with each other and in their willingness to build a society that truly cares for the well being of all of its citizens; openness, compassion and the ability to reach across cultural and ethnic lines is essential to build peace and strengthen nations.

The nation of Norway is a noble one. We know its citizens will stand together through this dark hour. We want them to know that we are standing with them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Eighth Annual Sharing Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Dinner hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Ohio's Cleveland Chapter. This event creates good will and understanding among members of the Muslim and interfaith communities while providing a traditional Middle Eastern dinner.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast each day from dawn to sunset. Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset to break the fast. This event allows members of the Muslim and interfaith communities of Cleveland to share in the Ramadan tradition of Iftar together.

By sharing Ramadan with the community, the Cleveland Chapter of CAIR- Ohio believes it can allay stereotypes about Islam, build friendships among members of the Muslim and interfaith communities, and prevent the spread of Islamophobia.

The keynote speaker at this event will be Muneer O. Awad, who is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American- Islamic Relations. After just two short weeks on the job, Mr. Awad made great strides in the fight for civil rights for Muslims when he filed a federal lawsuit to stop Oklahoma from amending its Constitution to ban consideration of Islamic principles in court. He is also a recipient of the 2011 Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries Russell Bennett recognition, which is awarded to people who demonstrate courage in social justice leadership in Oklahoma.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I invite you to join me in recognition of CAIR's eighth annual Sharing Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Dinner, which brings together people of diverse backgrounds for a night of celebration, friendship, and mutual understanding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Mr. Salvatore R. Calandra, a municipal court judge from Cleveland, Ohio.

The son of Italian immigrants, Mr. Calandra was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Cathedral Lain High School and went on to John Carroll University and Cleveland Marshall Law. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

IN 1957, Salvatore married Marie Manfredi. During the same year, he started his career in public service and was appointed as an assistant city law director. He served in this role

under three mayors and became a legal adviser to council, a role in which he served for 10 years. He then became the law department's chief counsel and was appointed to be a judge in 1972.

Mr. Calandra was elected as a municipal court judge in 1973 and was re-elected three consecutive times until his retirement in 1997. He was proactive on the bench and made many contributions, such as streamlining the jury system so jurors did not wait as long for trials to start. Additionally, he began a work service program for the impoverished.

In addition to his public service career, Mr. Salvatore was an active member of the Cleveland community. In addition to washing dishes at spaghetti dinners and the annual Labor Day festival at St. Rocco's parish, his family helped to build the Italian Catholic Church on Fulton Road. He was also president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland; head of the Justinian Forum, lawyers of Italian heritage; and was inducted into the Ohio Italian- American Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Mr. Salvatore R. Calandra, a man whose ceaseless dedication and service to the Cleveland community will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Parma Heights, Ohio, as they celebrate the city's centennial. Since 1911, Parma Heights has been an exemplary community within Northeast Ohio.

Conrad Countryman and his family were Parma Heights' first residents when they moved to the corner of Stumph and Pearl Roads in the Western Reserve Township of Brooklyn in 1817. By 1826, Parma Township, now known as Parma Heights, had severed from Brooklyn Township. Parma Heights continued to grow and expand, and in 1907, Wooster Pike, now known as Pearl Road, became the first rural red brick road in the nation. Parma Heights officially became a village in 1911.

By November of 1953, Parma Heights had adopted a Charter of the City of Parma Heights, and, in January 1959, Parma Heights attained city status. Since then, Parma Heights has been known as a ``small town oasis in a convenient big city location.''

Over the years, Parma Heights has produced such distinguished civil servants as Magistrate Paul W. Cassidy and Mayor Michael P. Byrne. Magistrate Cassidy honorably served the City of Parma Heights for fifty-six years before retiring in 2009. Michael P. Byrne became the fourteenth mayor of the City of Parma Heights in 2010.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honoring the City of Parma Heights, Ohio as its residents celebrate the city's centennial.

Mr. Speaker, S. 365, the Budget Control Act of 2011, is a landmark in American history, but for the wrong reasons. It is a fake solution to a phony crisis. It provides for a radical transformation of the structure of government. It is an attack on the principle of government of the people. All this in the name of fiscal accountability.

The choice we have today, default or dismantling of the social compact through draconian spending cuts, is a false choice. The President could have simply told Congressional leaders back in December of last year that the debt ceiling was not negotiable, and invoked the 14th Amendment as a backstop.

The ``debt crisis'' was spurred on by credit rating agencies of dubious integrity threatening a downgrade of the nation's credit unless the government cut spending. Most of the cuts are guaranteed to hurt those who live at society's margins, while S. 365 protects the investor class whose interests are served by the rating agencies.

Unelected credit ratings agencies like Standard and Poor's, the self- declared arbiter of U.S. Government creditworthiness, must themselves be subjected to a new level of scrutiny absent in the run-up to the Wall Street crisis. The credit raters helped to create that crisis too by procuring business through selling rating marks. The very idea that the sovereign United States must genuflect to dishonest rating agencies is antiquated and counterproductive to America's economic recovery.

This bill fails on its own terms, which are allegedly about fiscal accountability. The debt has three main drivers:

The first is the recession. If we want to reduce the debt, we have to stimulate the economy, which is hobbled by a jobless recovery. America has 14 million people out of work. We have over $3 trillion of infrastructure which must be replaced or rebuilt. We should be investing in America, rebuilding America, stimulating the American economy, priming the pump of our economy instead of capping our economic water well. Our GDP is lagging. This bill cuts nearly $3 trillion in government spending, which is one of our main tools for fighting the recession. So much for the recovery. So much for putting America back to work.

The second reason for the size of the debt is the Bush tax cuts. This bill fails to end the Bush tax cuts for the rich, which added a trillion dollars to the deficit. Not only are the wealthy not paying a fair share of the taxes but their privileged position is locked in, to the detriment to the rest of the society. This single action makes clear that this bill is a vehicle for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.

That working Americans are being offered a tax holiday is one of the cruel ironies of this bill in that the tax holiday adds more to the deficit on one hand, while requiring cuts to pay for it on the other. Those very cuts will undermine the social and economic position of those whom the tax holiday is alleged to help.

The third reason for the size of the debt is the wars. This bill fails to realize savings from ending the wars. Instead it continues the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at current funding levels for at least another 10 years. According to the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, ``The caps would not apply to spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and for similar activities (sometimes referred to as overseas contingency operations) . . .'' If this bill required a slow drawdown of troops as the Reid bill did, it would save at least $1.2 trillion.

It is inexplicable that we are creating more space for war and less space for jobs, housing, education, caring for our elderly, home heating assistance and a wide range of activities of any government which truly cares for its people.

A policy of no limits for war and hard limits on domestic spending, coupled with hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich, disproportionately affects the poor and middle class. Wall Street has swelled with bailouts, multiple editions of largesse through quantitative easing, skyrocketing executive pay and bonuses, and freedom to gamble the public's money through hedge funds. Main Street has suffered a massive loss of retirement savings, housing security, access to affordable health care, real wages and benefits, full employment and massive loss of small businesses. The wealth of America is being accelerated to the top and this bill pushes that acceleration.

This bill is a direct assault on representative government. The House of Representatives and the Senate consist of 435 and 100 Members, respectively. With the creation of a super-committee, the Congress has been reduced to a czardom where 7 of 12 members are given the power to determine the course of the American economy, with hordes of K Street lobbyists already poised to swoop in to protect their narrow interests against $1 trillion in deficit reduction measures.

The Congressional committee and subcommittee process, with its membership composed of individuals with expertise in specific areas, is designed to encourage thorough consideration of measures which affect the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans. This process is now abandoned. Abandoned with it is the intent of the founding Fathers when they established the House of Representatives specifically to avoid such a dangerous concentration of power. The super-committee is poised to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security while limiting accountability.

We could have avoided this hostage-taking if the President chose to apply his expertise in Constitutional law to invoke the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to raise the debt ceiling. Instead, we are taking America from the New Deal of 1932 to the Raw Deal of 2011. We should be focusing on strengthening Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and creating jobs. The Democratic Party is running away from its traditional role of protecting the poor, the elderly, and the working class. To whom do these groups now turn?

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2715, a bill which places profits ahead of public health; especially the health of children. Though some flexibility in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's implementation is warranted, this bill goes too far.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Even the most minute exposures, including so-called ``trace'' amounts, have enduring health effects. Lead has many of the same chemical properties as calcium, which is why the body takes it up and deposits in the brain and in bone. However, once lead enters the brain, it doesn't leave. Commonly seen health effects of lead exposure include delays in neurological and physical development, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, lower IQ, hearing loss, reduced attention span, and extremely aggressive behavior. A growing body of research links criminal activity to exposure to lead, which stands to reason given this list of effects.

This bill provides industry with several exemptions from the law and enhances its ability to self-regulate, an approach that has already proven to fail to protect public health. First, the bill exempts all products from the lead standards contained in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act except children's products. Though children are disproportionately susceptible to lead exposure, it is a disproven myth that adults are not susceptible. Adults suffer many of the same effects which are harder to detect because there are no programs to test blood lead levels, BLL, in adults.

This bill sets forth a series of harmless-sounding criteria to be used to grant specific exemptions that facilitate exposure to lead. If a company decides it wants to manufacture a product that can only be made with dangerous amounts of lead, that is now perfectly acceptable. In exchange, that company would need to show that the product is unlikely to be eaten, even though most lead exposure actually occurs through habitual hand-to-mouth activity after hands come into unwitting contact with the vast array of consumer products that contain lead. That company would also need to show that blood lead levels--of children only--would not be affected. That is not a difficult hurdle since blood only remains in the body for about two weeks before it is expelled or taken up into the brain or bone, where it is nearly impossible to detect.

This bill also gives manufacturers the ability to initiate a petition to exempt their products, without any way to prevent the well-worn tactic of applying for so many exemptions, and submitting so much information, much of which is meaningless, that the agency is effectively paralyzed with work. Worse, the bill allows the CPSC to make decisions about exemptions based solely on information submitted by the manufacturer. It is an inherent conflict of interest to turn over the burden of proof of harm to the company that stands to profit handsomely if no harm is proven. Citizens, advocates, and the CPSC do not have the resources to be able to generate enough information arguing against exemptions to match the volume of applications and information the manufacturers will put out. Chemical companies have been using this tactic for decades to push toxic chemicals through the approval process.

The bill also contains blanket exemptions for narrow interests like off-road vehicles, bicycles, books, and magazines, even though the products are meant for children and most Americans would be surprised to learn that they contain lead at all.

There is a balance to be struck between unnecessarily burdensome regulations and protection of public health. This bill fails to strike that balance.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Mr. Ronald Bernstein, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and former Councilman for Valley View, Ohio.

Mr. Bernstein was born in Cleveland, Ohio before his family relocated to Valley View. He graduated from Cuyahoga Heights High School in 1954 and served in the United States Army soon after.

After completing his service with the Army, Mr. Bernstein sold Oldsmobiles, Fords, and Chryslers for various auto dealers--which led to the introduction to Joanne Kenley, who he would later marry. He and Joanne raised three sons and have eight grandsons and a granddaughter.

At the age of thirty-three, Mr. Bernstein was elected to Valley View's City Council, where he served for twenty-four years. While serving as a Councilman Mr. Bernstein helped develop the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He also worked hard to reduce polluted runoff from Garfield Heights. Councilman Thomas Perk remembered Mr. Bernstein as ``a fighter for the people.''

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Mr. Ronald Bernstein, who as Councilman was instrumental in improving the City of Valley View and always stood on the side of those he represented.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the amendment offered by Representatives Dicks, Thompson, Fitzpatrick, and Hanabusa to H.R. 2584, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. H.R. 2584 contains language that would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) from enforcing the most important parts of the Endangered Species Act. The FWS would be unable to list any new species as endangered, unable to designate as protected any habitat that is critical to species' survival, and unable to upgrade any species from threatened to endangered status.

This amendment would reverse this dangerous and short-sighted policy. It would allow the FWS to protect any of the over 260 ``candidate species,'' species that the FWS has already determined warrant additional protection, and to upgrade the status of these species to endangered.

This amendment is not only vital for wildlife, but also for us. Many of these species play keystone roles in highly complex ecological systems on which we depend for clean water, clean air, arable soil, and healthy food. Biodiversity is a resource that can be tapped into; the complexities of organisms, only some of which have even been identified, can help us find cures for cancer and other diseases. A recent study by Dr. Felicia Kessing concluded that losses in biodiversity tend to increase the rate at which diseases are transmitted.

Willingly allowing endangered species to go extinct is irresponsible and imposes limitations on our nation's ability to progress. Species loss is forever. I urge my colleagues to support this important amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I have had and continue to have serious concerns about Senator Reid's revised bill. The cuts to discretionary spending will be adverse to the beneficiaries of programs designed to provide essential services the private sector will never--and in some cases, should never--perform. The cuts to defense funding, the single biggest source of government waste, are a good start but are small compared to those cuts to non-defense spending. I will work to ensure that we achieve defense cuts greater than the minimum required by this bill.

We are now three days away from reaching the effective debt ceiling, a landmark that would drastically accelerate the $400 billion of damage to our economy already caused by the mere threat of reaching the ceiling.

This bill raises the debt ceiling while not prescribing cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It prevents further instances of the debt ceiling (which has been raised 74 times since 1962 and 10 times since 2001) from being held hostage. It cuts funding from the account that fuels the wars that dramatically increased our debt.

In the past, I voted against three of the main drivers of our debt: the war in Iraq, the Bush tax cuts and Medicare Part D. I believe in fiscal responsibility. I do not believe America should go into default over a manufactured crisis. It is time to prevent fake crises, and get on with rebuilding the U.S. economy.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following. Good afternoon, and thank you to all the witnesses who are here today to testify about a critical issue facing America: protection of the clean air and clean water on which we depend every single day. Today, we will once again look at the critical role the Environmental Protection Agency plays in supporting these goals.

Air toxics from coal-fired power plants cause or contribute to devastating health problems, ranging from asthma attacks to premature death from cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer. One air toxic, mercury, damages the developing brains of fetuses, infants and small children, robbing them of the opportunity to fully develop intellectually and physically. Coal burning emissions of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides help fuel our nation's asthma problem and can increase heart attacks.

The burning of coal is also a major contributor to the environmental, national security, and economic crisis that is global climate change. The combustion of coal produces a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to increased trapping of heat in our atmosphere. In fact, coal accounts for roughly 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. It would be difficult to underestimate the urgency of shutting down coal power plants immediately for this reason alone.

These health and environmental consequences from toxic pollution are why the Environmental Protection Agency is developing tougher safeguards to protect Americans. One proposed rule on Mercury and Air Toxics alone would be estimated to save as many as 17,000 lives every year by 2015 and prevent up to 120,000 cases of childhood asthma.

One of the witnesses here to testify today represents American Electric Power (AEP), which is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. AEP is also one of our nation's biggest polluters. Another one of Ohio's polluters, FirstEnergy Corporation, which owns Lake Shore Plant in Cleveland in my own district, is identified as the nation's sixth-most harmful plant for low-income communities and communities of color. Thanks in part to AEP and FirstEnergy, the State of Ohio has more coal- fired generating capacity than any other state in the nation. Ohio's electric sector also has the ignominious honor of ranking FIRST in the amount of toxic air pollution it emitted in 2009, emitting more than 44.5 million pounds of harmful chemicals, which accounted for 65% of the state's pollution and 12% of toxic pollution from all U.S. power plants. Ohio also ranked THIRD among all states in mercury air pollution from power plants with about 3,980 pounds emitted in 2009, which accounted for 76% of the state's mercury air pollution and 6% of U.S. electric sector pollution.

AEP has lobbied against the Environmental Protection Agency's current efforts to regulate power plant pollution, and is pushing legislation to weaken and delay these regulations. I look forward to hearing from AEP today about how they can justify the tragic and destructive side effects that coal-fired power plants wreak upon us, as well as what steps they are taking to curb emissions of toxic air pollution in the United States.

While it is consistent with the history of big business to kick and scream about having to minimize the social and environmental harms they cause, we should NOT underestimate the entrepreneurial ability of America's electric sector to invest, retrofit and construct clean energy generation, while maintaining system reliability. In fact, when they upgrade our nation's electric generation infrastructure to comply with new regulations, their capital investments will help drive economic growth and create jobs. According to a study prepared by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, two of the proposed EPA Regulations--the Clean Air Transport Rule, and the new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards--could stimulate the creation of more than 1.4 million jobs over the next five years in the pollution controls, engineering, and construction fields.

Congress passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act because the American public demanded it. The American people demanded it because they don't like their children to inhale and drink and die from toxic compounds from which even the most diligent parent can't protect her child. Nothing about this equation has changed, and we must allow the Environmental Protection Agency to continue to fulfill its mandate to protect our water and air. I look forward to hearing from the Environmental Protection Agency today about how it continues to fulfill this promise to America.