John Shimkus

And the last thing I want to do is--I also want to just kind of weigh in on the RFS positively, hoping that we do get a standard.

Today's hearing gives us a chance to compare the Agency's individual budget request with EPA's underlying statutory authority.

I appreciate your willingness to work with us in the past on such things as electronic submission of hazardous waste manifests.

You are forcing a select set of victims, including coal relying consumers, communities, regions, businesses, and utilities to bear a substantial part of what is a global problem.

The U.S. is being penalized because of these extreme actions.

I hope that all of us here in the room will continue to engage in a productive dialogue and use the tools at our, and only our, disposal to end the net neutrality debate once and for all.

Our economy and our communities are better served by ISPs that can invest in services rather than in lawyers.

The Internet has been a catalyst for our modern information economy and culture precisely because of these guiding principles.

I did not see the need for net neutrality rules, and some of my colleagues had to be dragged 'kicking and screaming' toward our draft bill.

There is a resolution. It is supposed to go to Yucca Mountain. That is where it is supposed to go.

I just make that point obviously because it is Illinois, and that is a traditional DOE project from the original FutureGen to now FutureGen 2.0 to pulling it away.

But the question is, under the law you are required to defend the application. Are you willing to follow the law and defend the application?

$3 billion or $5.7 billion could be very helpful in the State of Nevada transitioning to--restarting and opening Yucca Mountain.

The administration needs to appreciate that there is a change occurring in the State of Nevada.

You have promised me numerous times that you as Secretary would continue to follow the law of the land. Is that still true?

The President has proposed an increase in this budget year

Some folks may be tempted to think there are easy solutions to this problem, but from our hearing this past November, we learned we have a long way to go to understand it.

I want to welcome and thank our witnesses who are joining us or rejoining us today.

I thank Representative Latta for his efforts on this issue and for bringing it to the subcommittee's attention last fall.

I just want to assure people that there is no discussion even in the last bill of alleviating or taking the citizen's right to sue out of RCRA, so you could rest comfortably in that.

You are more optimistic than I am. I can guarantee you that.

Yes. And the only enforcement mechanism under the recently reduced rule is through citizen suits and more litigation.

And I think it goes to Mr. McKinley's point.

I would like to thank the administration for all the cooperation we have received to date on this issue.

I am pleased to note that EPA chose to regulate coal ash under subtitle D, which will help ensure that coal ash continues to be beneficially reused like this.