Date: 2016-07-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 5538. the Department of the Interior. Environment. and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2017. Whatever constructive provisions it may contain are far outweighed by those that will do real damage if enacted. H.R. 5538 is a bill that is riddled with antienvironment riders. among other harmful provisions. which are intended to diminish the ability of the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health and the environment. As Ranking Member of the Science Committee. I am certainly familiar with the antiEPA rhetoric emanating from too many on the Majority side. Fortunately. their attempts to override the growing chorus of American voices demanding action on climate change is failing. and communities across the Nation are showing strong support for EPAs efforts to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. implement tighter ozone standards. and protect public health. Unfortunately. there are those in this House who apparently have turned a deaf ear to the American people. and instead provide a forum for those who seek to undermine EPAs work. seemingly at every turn. This bill is another vehicle for implementing those obstructive views. There is no greater evidence of this reality than the blanket prohibition found in this bill on any EPA action "to address methane emissions" from the oil and gas industry. While the people in California are still reeling from the largest methane leak in U.S. history. it seems unconscionable to me that we would prohibit EPA from taking any action on issues related to methane emissions. In addition. some of my Republican colleagues have grown fond of insisting that EPA should only rely on publically available scientific information to support their rules and actions. While the goal of a transparent government is laudable. the consequence of their insistence is not a more transparent EPA. but an EPA that would be limited as to what science they may consider. As my colleagues and I have said before. we cannot support a bill and accompanying report that limits. or prohibits. EPA from using the best and most relevant science. Moreover. in response to perceived delays in providing documents requested by Congress. the authors of this legislation would seemingly punish the hardworking men and women of EPAs Congressional affairs office by reducing their budget request by 4 million dollars. If my colleagues really want to address EPAs inability to provide timely responses to an ever increasing amount of Congressional document requests. they would not cut the budget of the office tasked with providing those responses. It may feel good to those proposing the cut. but it is a selfdefeating approach to addressing the ostensible problem. Finally. I would note that a number of amendments have been made in order that. if adopted. will only make a bad bill worse. I intended to oppose them when they come up for votes. In closing. I cannot support an appropriations bill that. among its defects. would diminish the ability of EPA to protect public health and the environment. and would prohibit EPA from using the best and most relevant science. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 5538.