John Sarbanes: “I want to thank all of you for your testimony today.”

It's a national environmental treasure. It's a regional economic engine. It's been one of my top priorities since I've come to Congress.

The goal was not to federalize elections across the country; the goal was to set some uniform standards.

Congress gave EPA this role more than 50 years ago under the Clean Air Act and reaffirmed that responsibility in 2005 under the Energy Policy Act.

But these are dramatic changes that can bring us to a new place and, I think, have given many people a sense of hope instead of despair in the face of what we are seeing with a warming planet.