Greg Walden

Today, a thousand people will go into emergency rooms overdosing on opioids. Today in America, 115 people will die from opioid addiction and overdose.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I appreciated the opportunity I had yesterday to meet with several of you and talk about how we work together going forward as a country to prevent this kind of disaster from continuing or ever happening again.

I share the passion of the rest of the members here about these unwanted, unnecessary, and oftentimes fraudulent calls.

It is now more important than ever to educate consumers on how detect and avoid fraud stemming from robocalls.

Robocalls and caller ID spoofing have exploded in recent years, with over 3 billion calls placed last month alone.

At best, these calls are annoying. At worst, they have the potential to scam and defraud consumers, especially senior citizens.

These issues are too persistent to ignore.

We are also here to discuss the role foreign direct investment plays in growing the American economy and creating jobs.

It appears that it has become a political blood sport to try to destroy anybody associated with the Trump administration.

I have had a lot of constituents over the years who have been very concerned about decisions in various agencies that get made by Administrators or the bureaucracy, and in some cases they can't get access to the underlying data that…

I appreciate the work that your Agency has done on that.

Will you commit the EPA will provide this committee with all the documents and information EPA produces for those inquiries?

Can you assure me and the employees of EPA that all whistleblower complaints are taken seriously at EPA

It has become a political blood sport to try to destroy anybody associated with the Trump administration

As I told you the last time you were here, this committee is charged by the House of Representatives with legislative and oversight responsibility for the bulk of the statutes that the EPA implements and we decide where the Agency's money…

I am concerned that the good progress being made on the policy front is being undercut by allegations about your management of the Agency.

I want to applaud those objectives in the Agency's budget that reduce red tape.

It is important that EPA not be bloated, but it is essential that EPA have the staff with proper expertise.

I believe the EPA should focus on innovative problem solving and partnership with States, the private sector, and other stakeholders.

I share your view that we can and must have both in America.

Bringing new transparency to your public processes, especially when it comes to the data and science that underpins policies, is truly a welcome change from past EPAs.

I appreciate your good work to focus EPA on the mission Congress has tasked it with in statute.

We expect you to answer these questions fully and truthfully.

Our nation's energy industry is at the forefront of an unprecedented period of change driven in part by changes in fuel mixes, technological innovation, and market competition.

We are delighted that you're here.