At Subcommittee Hearing, Democrats Reiterate Commitment to Combating Climate Change and Improving Public Health

Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2023)—Rep. Cori Bush, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs led Subcommittee Democrats in defending the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s proposed emissions standards, which aim to protect Americans' health amid the ongoing climate crisis.

"Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the EPA is proposing tough, yet attainable standards to reduce the polluting emissions entering our atmosphere. When we finally implement the EPA rules, we will be taking significant steps to combat climate change. By making significant and long overdue reductions in the amount of pollution poisoning our air every day, we will be saving lives and preventing illness and suffering," said Ranking Member Bush in her opening statement.

The hearing included testimony from Mr. Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions will improve public health.

• Ranking Member Bush highlighted how regulations protect public safety: "Let's remember what this hearing is really about. It's about the cars and the trucks most of us drive every day. We all agree that people need licenses to drive cars. They need license plates, inspections, seatbelts, and other closely monitored regulations to protect the well-being of everyone on the road. The EPA has reported that in 2030 alone, the proposed rule to reduce emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants would, quote, ‘prevent approximately 1,300 premature deaths' and, quote ‘more than 300,000 cases of asthma attacks,' which I previously stated."

• Rep. Shontel Brown illustrated EPA's successful and historic efforts to protect communities, stating: "Under the Biden-Harris administration, the common-sense regulations and rules put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency, are prioritizing the health of our environment and our communities. We know the EPA is responsible for protecting the public from pollutants that might otherwise harm our health and negatively impact the environment and the climate. For example, the average levels of lead in blood of Americans has steadily dropped since the 1970s when the EPA began to phase out leaded gasoline, which was banned entirely in 1995. That is just one effort among so many in which the EPA's rules and requirements have served to protect the health and well-being of our communities."

The EPA's attainable emissions standards support industry and consumers as America moves toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

• Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi emphasized the value of policies that promote electric vehicles while discussing the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill with the witness: "I sense that there is broad concern about the cost of electric vehicles being so high. That has to come down for average ordinary people to be able to access them, but would you agree, that the only way the cost per car can actually go down, is through economies of scale? That means making a lot of these over a certain period of time so that on a per unit basis, they go down in price." Mr. Goffman agreed, and pointed out that that strategy is "exactly what the strategy of the major auto manufacturers is."

• In his opening testimony, Mr. Goffman explained how EPA's rules work with the auto industry, not against it: "The proposed standards align with commitments already made by automakers and commercial vehicle manufacturers as they plan to accelerate clean vehicle technologies in the on-road vehicle fleet over the next five to ten years. Consistent with EPA's traditional approach to establishing pollution standards under the Clean Air Act, these proposals would deliver dramatic improvements in public health, notable savings for consumers and commercial fleets, and increased energy security for Americans. They would help American workers lead in the jobs and industries of tomorrow. If finalized, these proposals would mark a significant step towards improving air quality, protecting people's health, and addressing the climate crisis."

Republicans' continued attacks on the EPA's regulatory process risk worsening Americans' health by increasing exposure to climate change's ramifications.

• Rep. Melanie Stansbury pointed out the Republicans' repeated attacks on the EPA, stating, "The EPA is always a popular punching bag of our friends on the other side of the aisle." She also thanked the federal workers at the EPA for working to protect our planet: "We know that you're doing the work of the American people. We know that you're doing the work that the American people elected us in this body to do, which is to protect clean air, to protect clean water, and to ensure that all of our families have a livable planet for generations to come."

• Mr. Goffman explained how EPA's rules are based on legislation and aimed at facilitating the transition to lower-emission: "We're also putting these rules, in proposal form, out in the wake of Congress itself having—through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act—introduced into the economy, a number of measures whose purpose and ultimate effect will be to make the manufacture of these vehicles less expensive and, therefore, give the car companies the opportunity to sell the vehicles they were planning to market at affordable prices."

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