I underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burden and regulatory uncertainty. I have requested the Administrator Jackson to withdraw the draft ozone standards.

But the proposal says that the tribes are not obligated to adopt or implement any of the ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Remember, a third of the hospitals could very well go under if they have to make these payments.

we have infrastructure needs. And it is very difficult to get permits, it takes years, and so as we are shutting down coal plants through regulatory orders, we don't always have the capability to get the energy product to where it needs to…

we look at Europe and we see how some policies over there in which countries like Germany have made decisions to eliminate nuclear energy, has created low wholesale prices, extremely high retail prices, and as a result, Europe has some…

I think it is important to set realistic targets and goals that do push us to improvement.

Just in 3 years. Three years 45 percent of our coalminers are looking for work.

In the last week, during the break, I returned to West Virginia and was on overload of negative information coming at us in West Virginia.

The first newspaper I got when I got back there was, dark day for miners. They just announced that 2,268 coalmining jobs were lost.

So my first question of two questions would be to the coal industry to reverse this decline?

So if you are sitting in the kitchen with this 55-year-old that just lost his job, he has been working 30 years in a coalmine, what do you tell him?

Well, but keep in mind too, Mr. Secretary, you know that coalminers average age is going to be in their 50s.

We have been given the runaround. I have never seen so many fingers pointing in different directions.

I hope you understand, this kind of smacks of bullying on the part of CMS to rural hospitals.

This is going to be an incredible hindrance for these hospitals to provide medical care in rural areas of West Virginia.

Even though FERC has said that--and they have testified before us--the concern that they have is that we are going to have rolling blackouts in the Midwest if we don't start replacing these power plants.

Now, I get a little on the verge of outrage.

I'm concerned when I had affirmed that in West Virginia, one in five babies born in West Virginia, and I'm sure it may be one in four in other States or so, but one in five babies, they've been affected with drugs.

I want people to understand, that's more than died in Vietnam in combat.

I didn't see a focus from you.

I would like to get your feedback from that, from an academic standpoint or so, how that might work.

I am pleased the committee is examining post-acute care issues.

A bill that innovates, improves efficiency, protects Medicare and has a pay for of $20 to $25 billion, I think it deserves meaningful consideration.

Our colleague, Rep. Dave McKinley, has had a long interest in this subject and has sponsored legislation along with Reps. Tom Price and John McNerney to provide bundled payments for post-acute care services under Medicare.

This is a paid-for program with $20 to $25 billion in savings to protect our Medicare system.