In The News
ICYMI: Forbes Op-Ed on Obama Administration's Transparent Lack of Transparency
Thursday October 31, 2013
Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment & Public Works Committee, introduced S. 1079, the Artificial Reef Promotion Act, which would increase the utilization of decommissioned Gulf platforms as artificial reefs, as part of the Rigs to Reefs program. FoxNews.com reports on the positive impact of the Rigs to Reefs program.
Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, continued the Committee’s investigation into fraud and theft at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Committee is looking into the close ties of a former senior EPA official who admitted to stealing nearly $900,000 of taxpayer funds.
Washington, DC
10. Approximately 15,000 EPA employees are furloughed, making it less likely fake CIA agents at EPA will be ripping off the taxpayer
Last month, John C. Beale, a former EPA senior official in the Office of Air & Radiation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pled guilty to criminal charges for stealing nearly $900,000 from the Agency. For years, Beale claimed to work for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to shirk his EPA work responsibilities. U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), has also been actively working on an investigation of Beale and the Agency's policies and processes that facilitated Mr. Beale's fraud. Vitter wants EPA can take to reform its management policies and has called for an EPW committee hearing. Click here to read more.
9. EPA doesn't have the manpower to raid Alaska mines with armed guards
In August, EPA agents conducted an armed raid against miners in Chicken, Alaska, following up on an alleged claim of violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). One miner said of the raid, "Imagine coming up to your diggings, only to see agents swarming over it like ants, wearing full body armor....and all packing side arms. How would you have felt? You would be wondering, ‘My God, what have I done now?'" Click here to read more.
8. Fewer bureaucrats at the EPA makes it less likely that they'll make up science on new regulations
Vitter and EPW Republicans have pointed out the flawed science behind a number of EPA rules and regulations on the social cost of carbon, methanol, power plants, hydraulic fracturing, and the list goes on and on. Click here to read more.
7. Former Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar is worried about oil production in the Gulf of Mexico
"The continued shutdown of the federal government will ultimately affect the government approval of activities in the Gulf of Mexico. [Given] the contribution the Gulf is making to the energy future of the United States . . . it's not the kind of rollback we ought to have." - Former Interior Secretary Salazar, October 1, 2013
Former Secretary of the Department of Interior (Interior) Ken Salazar was responsible for essentially shutting down all oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico when he implemented a moratorium on production in 2010. The Inspector General of the Interior Department during Salazar's tenure is still under investigation for her role in turning a blind eye to the fudging of a National Academy of Engineers report related to the moratorium. The halt in production had a negative impact on energy production for several years. Salazar was also responsible for throwing out the previous 5-year plan for energy production and leasing on the outer continental shelf, which eliminated vast resources that should be available to the nation's energy producers. Limiting Gulf of Mexico access, as well as access on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts perpetuated the Administration's attempts to shut down offshore energy production.
Read more about Salazar's incredibly ironic statement here.
6. World War II veterans have stormed the Normandy beaches again. (Sadly, they had to, in order to gain access to their own memorial)
President Obama ordered that all national parks, monuments, and museums be shut down, even national parks that are fully funded by non-profit organizations and receive zero federal dollars for their operations. He also had barricades placed around the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., keeping out the visiting US World War II veteran forces and other visitors who could not get access to the memorial that commemorates the veterans' sacrifices and commitment. On October 8, 2013, the National Mall was opened for a rally to promote the Gang of 8 immigration legislation, which has been called an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.
5. EPA doesn't have the manpower to unilaterally expand its jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act
EPA has perpetually taken steps to expand its own jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The now-withdrawn guidance document and new rule are symptoms of an agency unceasingly trying to broaden its reach and frustrate commerce. Vitter and EPW Republicans have been demanding a whole lot more transparency and to unequivocally withdraw the controversial draft guidance. Read more here.
4. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) still finds time on the Senate floor to make inaccurate claims about green jobs. (This is a positive, right . . . NOT!)
"There are more jobs now in green energy than in the entire oil and gas industry." - Senator Whitehouse, October 10, 2013
A recent study by the American Petroleum Institute found that as of 2011 the oil and gas industry supports 9.8 million full-time and part-time jobs, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2011 there were only 3.4 million "green" industry supported jobs. Estimates from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory show that the federal government spent approximately $9 billion on green jobs, while only creating 910 new, long-term jobs. This means American taxpayers spent $9.8 million per job. A more thorough analysis of the dubious nature of such claims can be found here.
3. Far-left environmentalists prove themselves hypocrites again: They criticize continuing oil and gas production on federal lands during the shutdown but issue no call to halt wind turbines
"It's disappointing that the public is shut out from national parks but oil companies get to drill in them." - Alex Taurel, Deputy Legislative Director at the League of Conservation Voters
Vitter has repeatedly pointed out the hypocrisy of the Administration pursuing cases involving oil and gas producers, and not wind energy producers. The Administration has taken legal action against oil and gas producers whose operations have resulted in the death of birds. On the other hand, they have failed to pursue action against, and even offered waivers to, the companies who operate wind turbines that kill birds, including bald eagles, on leased federal lands. It was recently reported that "wind turbines kill over 600,000 birds annually."
2. President Obama has a temporary excuse for his stonewalling on FOIA and other transparency demands of the Administration
Currently over 90% of EPA's employees are furloughed. EPW Republicans have focused on the lack of transparency within the Obama Administration, particularly at the EPA, but also at the Treasury Department who have refused to release their involvement in developing a carbon tax.
And the number 1 reason the government shutdown isn't all bad...
1. Richard Windsor has been furloughed-for good!
"Richard Windsor," the now infamous email alias for former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, has been touted by the Administration as an example of standard procedure for high level employees. As it would turn out, from 2009 to 2012, EPA awarded ethics certificates to the employee "Richard Windsor" who was also described as a top student in the Agency's ethical-behavior class. Click here to read more.
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Vitter Opening Statement for "The Need to Invest in America's Infrastructure" Hearing
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Hearing - “The Need to Invest in America’s Infrastructure and Preserve Federal Transportation Funding”
Wednesday September 25, 2013
Washington, DC
Thank you, Chairman Boxer, the members of our Committee who are here today, and our witnesses for appearing before us.Just over a year ago, MAP-21 was signed into law. While it made substantial reforms to how we invest in this nation’s transportation infrastructure and provided two years of funding, it did not address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
As a result, we again face the looming consequences of a broken Highway Trust Fund. If action is not taken, the Trust Fund will not have the funds necessary to meet its obligations starting in early FY’15 or just about a year from now.
The hearing today will examine not only the factors that led the Trust Fund to this point and the ramifications of inaction, but also what options there are to put the Trust Fund back on a viable and sustainable course.
Vitter Summary Statement for "Black Carbon" Subcommittee Hearing
Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Hearing - “Black Carbon – A Global Health Problem with Low-Cost Solutions”
Tuesday September 24, 2013
Washington, DC
Thank you, Senator Carper, for calling this hearing today. It provides an opportunity to tout the successes of one of the few EPA-administered programs that has strong bipartisan support: the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), a voluntary grant and loan program designed to reduce domestic diesel emissions. DERA was first passed as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and was reauthorized in 2010. Immediately after Congress's reauthorization, President Obama stripped the program's funding from his budget for the upcoming fiscal year, making a clear statement of his Administration's belief that it was no longer a priority.DERA has been a successful voluntary program that has achieved reductions in black carbon in the United States without significant negative implementation costs to the regulators or the regulated community. Recent changes in emission standards, the retrofitting of out-of-date engines, and the eventual turnover of older vehicles are expected to reduce the total amount of black carbon emissions by 86% by 2030. As a country, we have already achieved significant reductions with federal regulations and the cost-effective solutions at hand, such as diesel particulate filters: the United States now represents only 8% of global black carbon emissions. The success of DERA and the drastic decrease in domestic emissions have led to similar legislation being introduced abroad.
Many people today will discuss black carbon as a "proven warming agent." It is prudent to not forget the rest of the story: that black carbon is co-emitted with other pollutants, such as organic carbon, that have a cooling effect on the atmosphere. Climate effects of black carbon include cloud interactions, which are not well-quantified and may cause either warming or cooling. Also, collectively, aerosols - of which black carbon is one - are widely understood to have a cooling effect on a global average basis. Clearly, there is a proven need for a more comprehensive evaluation of both the magnitude of particular global and regional climate effects due to black carbon.
As the effects of black carbon are regional in nature, the developing world's emissions do not significantly impact the United States' public health concerns. China and India comprise 80% of worldwide emissions, meaning any domestic controls would have minimal impact on global emissions levels. Any attempt to mitigate black carbon at the global scale will depend on application of a variety of strategies rather than widespread adoption of a single strategy, and, as of right now, there are too many questions and uncertainties surrounding the element to move forward.
EPA has acknowledged there is not enough information currently available about the impacts of black carbon on public health and the climate. Earlier this year, in the final PM NAAQS rule, EPA disagreed with the claim that the Agency should "pursue black carbon reductions for purposes of reducing the impacts of climate change on public health." The Agency and Congress must have more certainty regarding the relative importance of its impacts, as well as commitments from the countries that are the largest emitters, before we even begin discussing black carbon regulation.
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Today, the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) proposed a White House-approved rule that limits greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants and requires adoption of a cost-prohibitive carbon control technology that is unavailable at a commercial scale. The EPA proposal marks the first step of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, which tasks his Administration to pursue bureaucratic avenues to obstruct this nation's energy independence, and increase energy prices, which hits low-income families hardest.
Today's New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) require new coal fired power plants to install carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology in order to meet GHG emissions reductions, which effectively prohibits new coal fired plants from being built. CCS has yet to be demonstrated on a commercial scale and faces a number of additional barriers: In 2010, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that commercial deployment of CCS was possible in 10 to 15 years, contingent upon overcoming economic, technical, and legal challenges that have yet to be met.
Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), lead seven Senators in a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, regarding the Agency's involvement in the development and ultimate use of the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) estimates in current and upcoming energy-related rules. The EPA's social cost of carbon estimates will be the nexus of the administration's regulatory agenda for greenhouse gases (GHG)... and these regulations won't stop at coal.
The EPA has persevered with targeting GHG emissions through excessively restrictive regulations, and they have set a dangerous precedent by failing to base the achievement of the standards on reliable technology.
The EPA is moving forward - full speed ahead despite the following concerns:
Economic Impacts & the Public's Concern
• Despite the negative consequences for jobs and the economy anticipated from these regulations
• Despite there being no support for such regulatory actions even in the Democrat controlled Senate
• Despite one poll, after poll, after poll showing that global warming is one of the issues of least concern, the EPA instead takes a course of action that will hinder the top concern, which, for most Americans is the economy
International Carbon Regulations & Their Effects
• Despite countries that have adopted similar regulations having severe negative economic impacts
o Germany's aggressive and reckless energy policies are increasing the already-highest electricity prices in Europe
o The damaging effects of Spain's "green economy" policies did not stop President Obama from saying it was what he envisioned for America.
o In the UK, electricity prices forced pensioners to burn books to keep warm during the winter
• Despite Australia running from a carbon tax after horrendous economic impacts
Predictions & Models vs. Reality
• Despite EPA failing to meet their own scientific standards when creating the justification for GHG regulations
• Despite evidence that nearly every single climate model relied upon by the scientific community was wrong
• Despite faith in climate models continuing to decline and the vast majority of catastrophic predictions over the last 30 years regarding everything from extreme weather events to sea level rise being wrong
• Despite pressure to defend the failed predictions and further claims of government shenanigans in the "science"
Despite all this, EPA did it anyway.
It remains important to remember the U.S. Supreme Court gave EPA the choice, and EPA chose to regulate. And unfortunately, EPA has so manipulated the Clean Air Act that they are actually for the first time mandating a best system of emissions reduction for power plants that is wholly unproven, costly, and expected to increase rates.
Today, only 47% of Americans have a full time job, the workforce participation rate is at its lowest level since the Carter Administration, and the national unemployment rate has exceeded 7.5% for the longest period since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking it. More people are giving up on jobs, a growing number of college graduates are struggling to find a job, and countries that have adopted similar programs to what the Obama-EPA plans on imposing on the American people have found their youth being similarly crushed. EPW Republicans believe this new rule will further exacerbate these statistics.
Sen. Vitter (R-La.) made a statement on EPA's NSPS proposal earlier today. Click here to read more.
EPW Republicans recently released a report, "Critical Thinking on Climate Change: Questions to Consider Before Taking Regulatory Action and Implementing Economic Policies." Click here to read the report.
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Ranking Member Vitter Hearing Summary Statement
Full Committee Hearing “Implementing MAP-21’s Provisions to Accelerate Project Delivery”
Wednesday September 18, 2013
Washington, DC
Just over a year ago, MAP-21 was signed into law. It not only took some major steps in improving how we invest in this nation’s transportation infrastructure but also made critical reforms to ensure that we stretch taxpayer dollars and push for greater efficiencies in our infrastructure policy.ICYMI: Former EPA, California Officials Tout Lautenberg-Vitter TSCA Reform Bill as "Breakthrough"
Wednesday September 18, 2013
Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, coauthored and introduced the "Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013" with the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). The legislation will reform the outdated Toxic Substances Reform Control Act (TSCA).
ICYMI: Washington Post "Former Senior EPA Adviser Expected to Plead Guilty in $900,000 Pay Fraud"
Thursday September 5, 2013
Washington, DC
Last week, U.S. Sen. David Vitter's (R-La.) called for an investigation of $900,000 stolen by an employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air, aiming to understand the extent of the Agency's massive fraud and abuse. Click here to read more.
Washington Post
Former senior EPA adviser Beale expected to plead guilty in $900,000 pay fraud
By Ann E. Marimow and Lenny Bernstein | September 4, 2013
Over the past 12 years, John C. Beale was often away from his job as a high-level staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency. He cultivated an air of mystery and explained his lengthy absences by telling his bosses that he was doing top-secret work, including for the CIA.
For years, apparently, no one checked.
Now, Beale is charged with stealing nearly $900,000 from the EPA by receiving pay and bonuses he did not deserve. He faces up to three years in prison.
Beale, 64, who was a senior policy adviser in the Office of Air and Radiation, is expected to plead guilty at a hearing scheduled for Monday at U.S. District Court in Washington.
"This is a situation where one individual went to great lengths to deceive and defraud the U.S. government," said EPA spokeswoman Alisha Johnson.
Beale's attorney, John W. Kern, declined to comment on the case, as did a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.
At agency headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, Beale fostered an enigmatic image. He frequently traveled to China, South Africa and England, according to several people who worked with him. He would describe his trips and mention a lingering case of malaria.
The Arlington County resident told colleagues that his stints away from the office were for "sensitive work for another agency," according to an official familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is pending.
"I even asked him about it, as a joke," said a person who knows Beale through work on environmental issues and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the pending charges. "We all actually believed that maybe there was something going on. He just kind of laughed it off."
In recent weeks, people who work on environmental issues inside and outside the agency have learned of Beale's alleged deceit and the matter has taken on some political weight.
Sen. David Vitter (La.), the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, called the alleged scheme a "massive fraud" and has demanded additional investigation by the inspector general to determine whether the alleged corruption extends further in the agency that protects the nation's air, water and land.
Vitter said Beale had worked for Gina McCarthy, who now leads the EPA, for at least part of the time that he allegedly stole agency funds. The Louisiana Republican had threatened to filibuster McCarthy's nomination to lead the agency over an unrelated matter.
McCarthy's defenders said privately that she discovered the alleged activity and brought it to the attention of the authorities. She later forced Beale to retire in April 2013, according to a person familiar with the investigation. When he left, his base salary was $164,700.
Throughout the alleged scheme, which federal prosecutors said began in 2000, Beale appears to have acted alone, according to people close to the case.
The charges against Beale came in a three-page "criminal information," which can only be filed with a defendant's cooperation and signals that a plea agreement has been reached.
More details about how Beale carried out the alleged long-running scheme and exactly how much time he took off while still being paid are expected to emerge at his hearing before Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola.
Starting in about 2000, and continuing through Republican and Democratic administrations, court papers indicate that Beale was paid for work he never performed for the agency.
He received a salary, benefits and "retention incentive" bonuses "for which Beale had not earned by providing employment services to the EPA," Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Smith said in the court papers filed on Aug. 23.
The U.S. attorney's office is seeking to recover $507,207 in a judgement against Beale. A separate restitution order for additional funds could be filed separately.
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Click here to read the remainder of the article.
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