Date: 2011-10-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the Chairwoman. and I thank the committee for its courtesies and the Rules Committee for their courtesies. It would seem unusual to have a poster that says "Make It in America" on this discussion. But I think Ill lay the groundwork that we have no angst against the assets and natural resources that are in this particular country generating opportunities for work. But what my friends. in putting forward this legislation on the other side of the aisle. are asking us to do is to take a. if you will. word action and simply quash the EPA. take a sledge hammer and sledgehammer the EPA. And what were saying is that there is a place for State regulations. and there is a place for the involvement of the Federal response. Let me give you the most potent example. In 2008. failure of a coal ash impoundment in Kingston. Tennessee. spilled more than 5 million cubic yards of coal ash and will require approximately $1.2 billion for cleanup. It is a stark reminder that we must have mutual involvement of the State and the Federal Government. Now. many of you may have seen the news clips on that story. I remember seeing a couple come out and look in utter amazement at the loss of their beautiful property and their home. wondering how they were going to recoup. We call that a natural disaster. But the point in this legislation. even as I believe that we have the opportunity to grow economies with knowing how to do things in the right way. is that there is a failure to recognize the importance of the health and the safety of the American people. My amendment is simply requiring the EPA to study the impact of these permits on our environment and health. This is a reasonable request. considering our use of coal generates 130 million tons of waste a year. The bad part about it is that the Federal Government. the President of the United States. who has introduced a jobs bill which cannot get an iota of attention here. is indicating that this bill will be vetoed because. in fact. what it wants to do is to leave everything to the State without cooperation. What Im suggesting is. lets cooperate. And so my amendment says that the EPA will have a broad report containing the results of a study to determine a longterm impact of State coal combustion residuals permit programs on human health and the environment. It has nothing to do with shutdown. but it does have to do with saying that the EPA must have a role in the protection of the quality of life of all Americans. So. for example. they have a responsibility. as the States do. to take care of Tennesseans or Illinoisans or Texans who happen to be in Texas. But remember. folks. we live in America. Most of us dont want to secede from the Union. if you will. or the Nation. and we want the protection of the Federal Government. That $1.2 billion involves the Federal Government in helping to clean up what was a disaster. My only point is that we are champions of Make It In America. We are champions. And on this poster. you will see a number of individualsa hard hat. a teacher. and someone who is dealing with the health and safety of Americans. We are champions of this. Thats why many of us want to vote on the American Jobs Act to create jobs for our teachers. our firefighters. and our law enforcement. But I would share with you that these are also Americans whose quality of life we have to protect. And while were Making It In America. while were manufacturing. while we have the assets that this bill attempts to address. can we also respect the quality of life of our children and our seniors and those who suffer from respiratory ailments and individuals that are pregnant and newborns and toddlers who may be impacted by this particular issue? Kingston. Tennessee. is a Superfund location. as we speak. because of that terrible disaster. So I would ask my colleagues to support a simple amendment of cooperation. That cooperation is for the EPA study to assess the impact on not only those in a State. but on Americans. I believe that were all in this together. We live in a great country. and were all patriots. I might conclude my remarks by saying for those who are on the front lines fighting for us. they would like us to recognize that it is important to keep America great. America is great as we build. keep the quality of life that allows our citizens to thrive and prosper. protect our seniors. protect our children. protect those families and protect businesses as they continue to try and do what is right for the American people. Make It In America the right way. That means the EPA must be able to do its job as well. With that. I ask my colleagues to support the amendment. Madam Chair. I rise today in support of my amendment #4 to H.R. 2273. "Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act." as it requires the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a study to determine the longterm impacts of State Coal Combustion Residuals Permit programs on human health and the environment. As the Representative of the 18th Congressional District. located in Houston. Texas. I understand the role that the coal industry plays in our economy and will continue to play in the future. As Houston is the Nations energy capital. Our Nation needs a concrete and viable strategy for gaining independence from foreign energy sources. My amendment is simply requiring the EPA to study the impact of these permits on our environment and health. This is a reasonable request considering our use of coal generates 130 million tons of waste. Most of this waste consists of coal ash which is filled with many lifethreatening substances. The manner in which this coal ash is stored can have an extreme impact on the environment. public health and public safety. If this bill prevents the EPA from issuing regulations on this ash. then the EPA should at least be allowed to review the effectiveness of state level programs. I am well versed in the importance of addressing energy industry concerns. Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States. and is home to nearly 3.500 energy companies and related firms. There is no denying the importance the energy industry has in creating jobs in Houston and across our Nation. We must not forget that the coal industry in the United States is responsible for producing nearly half of our Nations electricity. At the same time we must balance environmental and public health concerns. I understand the need to put the hardworking people back to work. and I believe it can be done in compromise with the Environmental Protection Agency. Every industry has its share of risks. Industries that have a significant impact on the environment. health and safety of people living in the United States must meet high standards to ensure that public health and the environment are protected. The waste produced by the coal industry should not receive special treatment. Coal ash is the second largest industrial waste stream in the United States. Every year. over 130 million tons of coal ash is produced. This ash contains a significant list of cancer causing and neurotoxin chemicals including arsenic. lead. chromium. cadium and mercury. Remember mercury has possible ties to causing birth defects in pregnant women. This ash is stored in ponds and landfills around our Nation. Today. this bill is enabling states to attain permits in order to deal with this ash. It is important to remember that these byproducts can seep into our water and fly about our air. This cancer causing ash and we need to ensure that it is properly regulated. As it stands most states do not have regulations in place to keep coal ash. or as I would like to call it toxic ash. safely away from our air and our drinking water. When this ash is stored in dry. lined impoundments it is perfectly safe. however when this ash finds its way into the nearly 500 wet ponds across our Nation. there are serious risks poised to those living near those locations. I remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the BP oil spills. I was among the first voices calling for additional scrutiny and stiffening of safety measures. Well. in Kingston. Tennessee. the residents found up to a billion gallons of coal ash coating their community. The Kingston. Tennessee. coal ash spill was 100 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill and 5 times larger than the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. In its volume it is the largest environmental disaster in the United States. It will require approximately $1.2 billion for cleanup. We all pay when these sites fail. This legislation does not include any language to increase new safety standards. These decisions are all going to be done at the state level. When you think about this. remember the residents of Kingston. Tennessee. The Kingston disaster should cause each of us to take a look at how this coal ash is stored and managed. At least every three years since 2002 there have been major breaks in coal ash ponds. this has resulted in millions of pounds of toxic sludge entering our waterways and thereby our drinking water sources. My amendment would require the EPA to study the longterm effects of these ponds and landfills on public health and the environment. It also requires that the EPA reports their findings to Congress. We must take the steps necessary to address this potentially dangerous hazard. I understand that coal ash can be stored safely. I just want to ensure that it is stored properly.