Do you believe that giving FERC this authority would increase America's ability to appropriately respond to threats and vulnerabilities facing our electric grid?

Well, I agree with you, and last year this committee unanimously passed the GRID Act, which was co-authored by myself and Mr. Upton.

This is the 12th day of our American Energy Initiative hearing, and today we are going to focus on the impact of the EPA's new and proposed power sector regulations and the reliability of the electric power grid.

The FERC needs that authority.

As it is, this Administration has brought construction of new coal-fired generation to a near standstill, and things are only going to get harder as additional regulations take effect.

All we have here are a certain small number of utilities that are in a sit-down strike against technological progress.

I think there are some legitimate concerns here about cost-benefit analysis and particularly when you have said yourself since you have been at EPA, the costs have never exceeded the benefits.

You have given me no comfort, Madam Administrator. I am driven to the conclusion that you are telling me that when you have completed this, there is a probability that you will initiate new efforts to come forward with a new rule under…

Now, why would EPA refuse to create a subcategory for these two plants that cannot in any way meet the standards?

I would say quite the contrary.

we know they are costly. We know they are costing jobs.

EPA has never considered the cost of additional health care required because someone loses a job, and I don't understand how that is possible, why that is not a legitimate cost.