Henry Waxman

I would like to yield 3 minutes to a very important member of our full committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

I am now pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), who is the ranking member of the subcommittee called Environment and the Economy.

I am pleased at this time to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), the ranking member of the subcommittee from which this bill emerged.

I just find it amazing, this attack all the time by the Republicans on the law that is going to help so many tens of millions of people get insurance.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Tomorrow, the House will vote to repeal the law for the 40th time.

Republicans are using, quote, 'the most cynical of tactics,' and inflicting, quote, 'human misery,' end quote, on their constituents.

It describes 10 ways that Republican leaders in Congress and statehouses have worked to sabotage the law.

The Affordable Care Act deserved bipartisan support, but we faced united opposition from Republicans.

We passed the Affordable Care Act to address these chronic problems in our healthcare system.

I am pleased to welcome Administrator Tavenner to our hearing today. She comes before this committee with an impressive record of achievement in both the public and private sectors.

Twenty-five years after the 1987 amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, it is clear that this Washington-knows-best approach has not worked.

The take-home message should be that we can tackle this problem by ensuring the Federal agencies... have the authority it needs to implement a consent-based process that is transparent and rooted in science.

Now, no project will ever enjoy universal support so how do you envision defining consent?

Having updated generic standards will also support the efficient consideration as you look at----

Any workable solution for the final disposition of used fuel and nuclear waste must be based not only on sound science and also on achieving public acceptance at the local, State, and tribal levels.

Opposition to the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada was not always a given.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I support your amendment and urge all of our colleagues to support it as well.

When coal ash is recycled, it is not a waste; and, therefore, EPA has no jurisdiction. It is not a problem. When coal ash is put into a landfill or disposal site and leaches into the water, then it is a problem. This bill doesn't address…

Before I yield back my time, I want to point out to my colleagues that this bill will not make it into law. The Senate will not accept it, and the President will not support it in its present form because it doesn't protect public health…

I am also impressed at the quick action he has taken to address the subject of this hearing: longstanding DOE problems with cost management, environmental compliance and physical security at the Nation's nuclear complex.

The energy subject at the top of my priority list is climate change.

Secretary Moniz has gotten off to a very good start at DOE, and I am pleased with the extent to which he has moved quickly to make positive changes since his confirmation.

The United States and the European Union, which together make up over 40 percent of global GDP, have entered into negotiations on what would be the largest free-trade agreement ever completed.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.