Dan Coats: “I rise in support of Senator Paul's resolution. The word ``extreme'' has gotten thrown around here an awful lot. I just…”

“I rise in support of Senator Paul's resolution. The word ``extreme'' has gotten thrown around here an awful lot. I just walked on the floor. What is being sought here is not extreme. Under the Clean Air Act, there have been extraordinary gains in terms of air pollution controls, and there have been hundreds of billions of dollars spent over the last couple of decades to provide some much needed and much appreciated clean air all across the country. Are we 100 percent there yet? No. Are we a long way toward getting there? Yes. The issue before us today is, can we allow sufficient time for utilities that are spending these hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars to continue the process of retrofitting their plants and providing energy to consumers and businesses at a reasonable rate. In the Midwest where a lot of these plants exist--although this covers 27 States--we make big stuff. We make cars and we make trains and we make automobiles and heavy machinery. It takes electricity to do that. Our economy is not based on maple syrup or wine from Napa Valley, it is based on major, huge industries producing what America needs to move people around and to create the kind of economy all of us have enjoyed. It also provides a lot of jobs. We have spent literally hundreds of billions of dollars in complying with Clean Air Act regulations, and we have come a long way.…”