▶ 0:18:42>> good morning everybody, I will call this business meeting to order. Members of the committee, ranking member whitehouse and I will give our opening statements. We will immediately proceed to the votes to report out nominations, resolutions, and legislation.
▶ 0:19:08I want to thank my colleagues for attending today's business meeting to vote on three committee resolutions and eight pieces of legislation. We will consider the nomination of jeffrey hall and douglas troutman. Ho nieh, and four members of the tennessee valley board of directors that will return the board to a working forum.
▶ 0:19:38Each of these nominees are qualified and I urge my colleagues to support the nominations. We will consider three nominations to the ronald reagan building. The three committee resolutions from the general services, repairs and alterations to the ronald reagan building. Two of these address important repairs immediately needed at the building.
▶ 0:20:03The final prospectus is the gsa proposed plan to replace the current fbi had corridors -- headquarters with a renovated space at the ronald reagan building. This addresses the needs and mission of the fbi and utilizes an existing federal building with a reasonable investment instead of significant time waiting for construction. It's a way to address this years long problem.
▶ 0:20:32The bills being considered today are largely bipartisan measures drafted by members of the committee. I will skip reading them because I think everybody has them in front of them. I will call them out individually as we go. I want to thank all members for work on these bills and I'm proud of this committee could continue its bipartisan work on passing legislation.
▶ 0:20:58Sen. Whitehouse: . We have a busy agenda, I will start with jeffrey hall, another industry crony here to serve the big polluters who have occupied this administration. He has done so little that doj fired -- filed fewer enforcement claims than ever in any previous administration.
▶ 0:21:25Sen. Whitehouse: One administrative complaint was dismissed with prejudice against trump mega donor. Alleging misuse of pesticides. We will have to get the facts on that from a separate lawsuit. Hall claimed no involvement in this. Epa already targeted enforcement attorneys for buyouts.
▶ 0:21:56Sen. Whitehouse: A smaller staff could deliver what hall calls appropriate enforcement. I will vote no on Mr. hall. Doug troutman spent 20 years representing chemical industry interests, the epa has zero credibility and I will oppose this nomination.
▶ 0:22:17Sen. Whitehouse: The four nominees came after the trump administration fired three democratic appointees upending decades of tradition of a bipartisan board. This is not the fault of the nominees but it causes me to oppose their nomination. As for ho nieh, I will support it despite them threatening nuclear safety and regulatory certainty.
▶ 0:22:48Sen. Whitehouse: The expertise and qualified leadership like his. He has unqualified stafford and so-called detail ease that are in tune to the interest of the fossil fuel industry. I expect him to resist the dangers of misguided political interest as the safety regulator enabling the nuclear industry.
▶ 0:23:14Sen. Whitehouse: A capable nrc could focus on nuclear progress including ways to deal with our nuclear spent fuel. Spent nuclear fuel is a $45 billion disposal liability that could be an energy opportunity. Advanced technologies could use tool for cleaning power. It contains hundreds of radioisotopes outside nuclear power.
▶ 0:23:41Sen. Whitehouse: Our bill paves the way to nuclear facilities that could help make these wins a reality. I hope to reauthorize the diesel admissions reduction act. There is a long-standing program that helps replace old diesel engines with cleaner more efficient engines to make air safer around roadways, ports, schools. School districts have been the largest beneficiary of these acts.
▶ 0:24:10Sen. Whitehouse: I'm glad we are continuing this program. I will happily support the save our seas reauthorization which I introduced with senator sullivan combat plastic pollution. Demonstrating bipartisan need for tackling dangerous plastic waste. Recycling is a key focus of this program.
▶ 0:24:36Sen. Whitehouse: It's frustrating that two dozen epa employees were marked for layoff. This behavior in a program with broad bipartisan support in forcing a law signed by president trump is why epa's credibility is so shot. I want to tag the proposal to build the building in downtown washington. It must meet the rigorous security standards.
▶ 0:25:06Sen. Whitehouse: Congress authorized and appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars with gsa to select a new location. Gs owes prospectus violates clear congressional intent and the fbi's security needs. I understand the senator wants to be recognized to say her piece as well.
▶ 0:25:27Chair Capito: While we wait, we have two more members on the republican side we need to fill out for our roll call votes. The other bills besides the one that senator whitehouse mentioned we will be considering today is the legacy mine cleanup act, the reuse act, the great lakes fishery reauthorization
▶ 0:25:57Chair Capito: Act. We will be doing the recognition act and the will to designate the federal building in tucson, arizona. A gentleman I served with for many years on the house side is senator cramer and those of us who were there. We will wait just a few minutes here.
▶ 0:26:32Chair Capito: While we are waiting here I would ask if somebody like senator who said or senator kelly, if you want to talk about your bill until we get full attendance.
▶ 0:26:47Sen. Coons: -- Sen. husted: I'm really glad one of my bipartisan bills is going to be considered. Senator lummis and I introduced this.
▶ 0:27:05Sen. Coons: It is a bipartisan bill that takes a step forward to cleaning up abandoned and in active minds by permanently authorizing the epa's office of mountains, deserts, planes. Estimates are there are tens of thousands of abandoned mines in the western united states.
▶ 0:27:28Sen. Coons: While they pose health and safety risks to nearby communities, efforts to clean them up have been stalled by federal bureaucracy. There are 500 abandoned uranium mines and very few of these have been cleaned out. Our bipartisan bill will start fixing that by establishing an office at the ea to focus on problems facing the western united states like these abandoned mines.
▶ 0:27:57Sen. Coons: I asked my colleagues for the support of this bill which will take one more step towards cutting through red tape and addressing an important issue for arizona, wyoming, other western states. Also on behalf of southern arizona I want to thank everyone here for advancing the bill after the way the congressman, we live in that district.
▶ 0:28:28Sen. Coons: The way he represented southern arizona in the house more than two decades. He was a man of passion and conviction. It was the son of immigrants. He was a champion for the working class and leaves a legacy of making sure everybody had a voice.
▶ 0:28:47Sen. Coons: He worked with many folks on this committee and folks who certainly served in the house before to preserve public lands, protect public health in the environment and invents our shared conservation goals by renaming the building in his honor we recognize his lifetime of service to southern arizona and our nation.
▶ 0:29:13Sen. Coons: This effort is supported by republicans and democrats and I look forward to seeing it signed into law. Thank you.
▶ 0:29:20Chair Capito: Does anybody else wish to make a comment?
▶ 0:29:26Sen. Husted: Thank you. I would like to briefly speak about the reef you will act. I want to thank the ranking member for his efforts. This is about re-spiked -- recycling spend nuclear fuel.
▶ 0:29:47Sen. Husted: We have this fuel, this city on the sides of our nuclear facility throughout this country simply by creating a regulatory flame -- framework that would allow for it to be recycled, a new round, a new generation literally of energy for our country that would power america with affordable, reliable, and clean energy.
▶ 0:30:20Sen. Husted: This is a technology, a process used frequently. We cannot use it in part because of the regulatory need for clarity and that is what we do. We clarify that recyclers will use part 70 process for licensing, the recycling of this fuel, nuclear fuel.
▶ 0:30:53Sen. Husted: We create the clarity they need to make sure they could make the multibillion-dollar investments necessary. A reminder this is for electricity generation, enriched uranium that will be recycled. Right now america imports 30% of its enriched uranium from russia.
▶ 0:31:20Sen. Husted: We could begin to no longer rely on russians fuel that we could make it in america. Thank you. >> I would like to thank him for his effort with me. I concur with the sediments
▶ 0:31:37Chair Capito: We are still lacking a full contingent.
▶ 0:31:43Sen. Merkley: I will comment now to save us the time later. I will preemptively speak to it now in regard to the fuel act.
▶ 0:32:00Sen. Merkley: It encourages non-separate of reprocessing and it is viewed as a lower corporation risk, we have had studies that have disputed that notion on the national laboratory seeing this not reducing employer reparation -- proliferation risk. My amendment would say it's time to take a fresh and intensive look that takes us back to 2009.
▶ 0:32:34Sen. Merkley: Circumstances have changed. It would be important to make sure we understand the key assumption behind this bill. That was my amendment. In deference to my colleague I will withdraw that amendment when the time comes.
▶ 0:32:54Chair Capito: Thank you.
▶ 0:32:58Sen. Curtis: I will briefly weigh in. I will speculate that it fuels innovation that we are going to see as this bill gives that regulatory framework when you see some U.S. innovation on this is a very important thing. I will double down on our dependence not just on russia and china for processed uranium.
▶ 0:33:32Sen. Curtis: Thanks to my colleagues for their hard work on this.
▶ 0:33:35Sen. Sullivan: I simply want to talk to one bill and one amendment that I have. The bill is the save our seas 2.0 amendment. This is the legislation that I have champion with senator whitehouse for many years.
▶ 0:34:01Sen. Sullivan: The act was signed into law by president trump, the most comprehensive ocean cleanup legislation in the history of our country. President trump fully backed it. Senator whitehouse attended with me and president trump. Someday I will tell you all about it. It is really interesting, really fun.
▶ 0:34:33Sen. Sullivan: I don't want to go on the record with that. I'm pretty sure senator whitehouse doesn't want to go on the record. This is one of the many bills we legislate here in this committee. We have an amendment to the save our seas 2.0 marine debris infrastructure program.
▶ 0:34:56Sen. Sullivan: This would allow the epa to continue combating marine debris by implementing four programs to improve recycling, keep trash out of rivers and streams and plastics out of our drinking water and wastewater. I think all states here utilize in a really positive way. That is what that bill will be doing. Thank you.
▶ 0:35:23Chair Capito: We all welcome senator wicker. Let's make sure we notice he is here. Thank you.
▶ 0:35:32Sen. Wicker: I was told there would be a bunch of debate before I got here.
▶ 0:35:36Chair Capito: We were debating when you were going to get here.
▶ 0:35:42Sen. Wicker: Duly chastised.
▶ 0:35:43Chair Capito: Let's get started. I call a presidential nomination number 141-20, jeffrey called to be assistant administrator of the environmental protection agency. Is there a second? Clerk will call role.
▶ 0:36:02Chair Capito: [taking votes] >>
▶ 0:37:02Chair Capito: The nominee is favorably reported. I will now call a presidential nomination 445-6, ho nieh to be a member of the nuclear regulatory commission. Is there a second?
▶ 0:37:25Chair Capito: [taking votes] >>
▶ 0:38:06Chair Capito: Clerk will report. The yeas are 13 and the nays are six.
▶ 0:38:14Chair Capito: The nominee is favorably reported and I note the presence of a quorum. Douglas troutman to be the administrator of toxic substances at the environmental protection agency. [voting]
▶ 0:39:21Chair Capito: Clerk will report. >> the gays are 10 and the nays are nine. -- the yays are 10 and the nays are nine.
▶ 0:39:36Chair Capito: The nomination is represented favorably. Moved to approve and report the nomination favorably. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 0:39:49Chair Capito: Clerk will call role. [voting] .
▶ 0:40:31Chair Capito: The clerk will report. >> the yays are 10 and the nays are nine. I now call a presidential nomination 379-13 of tennessee to be a member of the board of directors. I moved to approve and report the nomination favorably. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 0:40:57Chair Capito: Clerk will call the roll. [voting]
▶ 0:41:35Chair Capito: Thanks
▶ 0:41:44Thachair Capito: The clerk will report. >> the yays are 10 and the gays are nine.
▶ 0:41:57Chair Capito: I call randall jones of alabama to be a member of the board of directors for the tennessee valley authority. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 0:42:10Chair Capito: The clerk will call the roll. [voting]
▶ 0:42:49Chair Capito: The clerk will report the gays and nays -- yays and nays.
▶ 0:42:58Chair Capito: The nominee is fairly reported. I call out presidential nomination 416-4, arthrogram of florida to be a member of the board of directors for the tennessee valley authority. Is there a second? >> second. [voting]
▶ 0:44:01Chair Capito: Clerk will report the yays and nays. >> the yays are 10 and the nays are nine.
▶ 0:44:12Chair Capito: We will now turn to the three committee resolutions on the ronald reagan federal office building in washington dc. Does any member wish to speak to these resolutions? >> I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak about the reagan building. I'm extremely disappointed in the decision to proceed today.
▶ 0:44:50Chair Capito: We reported two pieces of legislation unanimously. They raised concerns about the administration simultaneous actions to dismantle bipartisan laws through executive orders and funding freezes. This committee had a well-earned reputation for working across the aisle. It becomes very difficult to do so when we cannot hold on each other to our bipartisan agreements when we had a chance.
▶ 0:45:19Chair Capito: It became law because of members reaching a bipartisan agreement, required gsa to select a new location for the headquarters for one of three sites. Two in maryland and one in virginia. The reagan building in D.C. were not eligible sites under the law. The administration's decision to abandon years of planning and processing was a clear violation of that law.
▶ 0:45:48Chair Capito: Epw has not reported gp prospectuses on votes. Not during the last unified democratic government or in the last unified republican government. I'm not aware of whether the committee has ever acted in a bipartisan way from prospectuses. I am discouraged that we are breaking this long tradition today.
▶ 0:46:13Chair Capito: I was heavily involved in the selection of the site during my time as prince george's executive. I could tell you firsthand that choosing the new fbi headquarters was not oversight. It was a lengthy transparent and highly collaborative process and one that involved over a decade of work between federal, state, local partners.
▶ 0:46:37Chair Capito: It was to ensure the fbi would have a headquarters capable of supporting its national security mission while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. After years of deliberating gsa completed its formal evaluation selecting maryland as the site that would best meet the criteria. Accessibility, suitability.
▶ 0:47:02Chair Capito: It even examined and while it made recommendations for how future selection processes could be selected nothing negated the selection of greenbelt for ethics reasons or otherwise. I understand there are some that raise concerns about making better use of existing federal assets. This is a principle that I fully support. The reagan building is not an underutilized federal property.
▶ 0:47:35Chair Capito: While there are some federal vacancies that I must note another illegal action by the trump administration, the U.S. agency for international development. It currently houses U.S. customs and border protection services and a number of other private sectors that generate revenue.
▶ 0:47:56Chair Capito: Displacing these tenets will require relocation arrangements and repurchasing the reagan building to serve the fbi headquarters would not be an example of good asset management. It would remove productive use. The reagan building's design are inconsistent with federal security standards for law enforcement agency.
▶ 0:48:21Chair Capito: It is constructed above an active metro station and includes a publicly accessed parking garage. Some of my colleagues argue that they support the decision because it would save federal dollars. I would argue that is not necessarily the case either. We don't know how much this costs or if he could meet the level five security of an fbi security site.
▶ 0:48:48Chair Capito: It should not be based on politics. The law establishes a clear path congress providing funding and oversight. That selection remains the only legitimate choice. I'm extremely disappointed today. Disappointed we abandon the bipartisan tradition and disappointed that we are not upholding a bipartisan law in a bipartisan way.
▶ 0:49:15Chair Capito: While it may not be today, I have to believe the rule of law will again matter. It should matter to all of us. I look forward to the day that it does. We should all agree the new fbi headquarters at the very least should be required to meet the highest level of security and that none of the funds authorized by this resolution to be obligated or expended to the federal bureau of investigation head complete and in-depth assessment and determine the
▶ 0:49:48Chair Capito: Ronald reagan building is in fact capable of being the interagency securities for level five requirements and provide that assessment. For that reason I ask unanimous consent to add this provision to this effect to the committee resolution. I have the language. I believe that this get entered by unanimous consent.
▶ 0:50:11Chair Capito: Before I consider that I would like to make some statements concerning your statements. Understanding you are a senator from maryland and we all understand your passion for this . I believe as many of my colleagues do the property portfolio constructing new buildings and leasing additional space.
▶ 0:50:37Chair Capito: Last year we worked in a bipartisan way to make better use of that portfolio. We directed the sale of federal buildings. The most recent estimates to build a new fbi headquarters place the total cost at approximately $3.5 billion. Construction is expected to take years.
▶ 0:51:02Chair Capito: Moving fbi headquarters into the ronald reagan building will undoubtedly save billions of dollars. Gsa and the fbi plan to use existing funding to cover the cost of upgrading the ronald reagan building. I will continue to respect the position of a senator on this committee regardless of your party when we consider gsa prospectuses in his or her state. That consideration does not apply here.
▶ 0:51:32Chair Capito: The reagan building is in washington, D.C., there are no home state senators to confer with. The senator from maryland has alleged we are prevented from acting on this by section 530, fy 2022 financial services government appropriations bill. I disagree.
▶ 0:51:55Chair Capito: Section 530 directed the gsa administrator to engage in a selection process for new fbi headquarters location between three sites in maryland and virginia. Under president biden's administration submitted a prospectus for eyesight in greenbelt, maryland. Once the prospectus was submitted gsa had fully satisfied its obligation under section 530.
▶ 0:52:24Chair Capito: Neither our committee nor the house transportation and infrastructure committee took any action to approve or disapprove the perspective in the greenbelt site. The trump administration submitted a perspective for use of the fbi headquarters. That is what we are considering today. Nothing in the 2020 two appropriation language prohibits the gsa from submitting additional perspectives. Nor does it prohibit this committee.
▶ 0:52:56Chair Capito: Notably the language was included in the fy 2024 senate version of the appropriations bill. That would've prohibited use of funds for fbi headquarters at one of the three sites. That language was dropped.
▶ 0:53:23Chair Capito: It is up to the appropriations committee to approve transfer requests that allowed gsa to use already appropriated dollars to fund the reagan building project. It has indicated that the transfer is approved there are sufficient funds to complete the project to those already appropriated dollars. The responsibility under 40 usc is to decide whether we believe the reagan building project should move forward.
▶ 0:53:51Chair Capito: There is nothing in law that confirms the approval. I believe it is the right policy for a policy already owned by federal government at a lower cost to our taxpayers. I ask our colleagues to approve this prospectus. >> if I might just add really quickly, just responding, two things have not been addressed.
▶ 0:54:21Chair Capito: We don't know how much it would cost. I think that is still unknown. In 2013 the fbi itself said they require a level five security in order to go. That is the reason we were moving in the first place. It is still unknown whether the ronald reagan building could achieve a level five security.
▶ 0:54:45Chair Capito: I would like to ask unanimous consent, I would like to offer the testimony of the fbi itself saying they require a level five to go to a building. The ronald reagan building I believe it will not meet that.
▶ 0:55:03Chair Capito: I ask unanimous consent to offer that testimony and renew my request that we do not move forward with any money until we have the assessment that the fbi both said they would ask for by october. They have not done it. The men and women at the ronald reagan building are safe and secure. They have a level five that they deserve.
▶ 0:55:29Chair Capito: >> are we now into our second unanimous consent request?
▶ 0:55:37Chair Capito: I will address the unanimous consent request right now. Let me address the first one. >> I would reserve the right to object.
▶ 0:55:48Chair Capito: 4b requires all first-degree amendments, these are our committee rules. We would file first-degree amendments within 24 hours before business meetings. No amendments to the committee resolutions were filed before the deadline set by our rules.
▶ 0:56:10Chair Capito: This business meeting was properly noticed with the committee resolutions and all other agenda items with committee members on friday, october 24 in compliance with rule 4a. Therefore I object to the unanimous consent. >> I was presenting it not as an amendment, I am asking as a trevizo. We should have level five security at this building.
▶ 0:56:38Chair Capito: I'm just renewing my objection to the unanimous consent.
▶ 0:56:45Sen. Wicker: With regards to the young ladies second request to add some information expressing her point of view, I don't think any of us would object to the record being added to put that testimony.
▶ 0:57:04Chair Capito: Could you restate that?
▶ 0:57:08Sen. Wicker: Senator alsobrooks first unanimous consent request has been objected to by the distinguished chair. Now she is asking some testimony be added. I don't think any of us would object to the record. >> I will withdraw my objection.
▶ 0:57:37Chair Capito: Thank you. >> without objection as to senator alsobrooks second request.
▶ 0:57:48Sen. Merkley: I'm thinking about a competition that went forward over the basing of the pacific research lead. After stiff competition, oregon won that. For a host of reasons, a much better site.
▶ 0:58:14Sen. Merkley: We have a similar parallel situation here in which after stiff competition the best site was chosen. We are now entering a realm where the administration is specifically targeting blue states and their projects. This is not a realm we should go into.
▶ 0:58:36Sen. Merkley: Future administrations, if all of you have a state that was competing and you won it fair and square, you would be saying it is outrageous for a blue administration to be targeting the state deliberately. Couldn't we all unite behind the idea that no state should be targeted in this fashion?
▶ 0:59:07Sen. Merkley: I just want to lay it out there as something for all of us to ponder about the deterioration of fair competition. I just want to share that. This is not a place we should be going to now or in the future. I don't want to see a democratic retaliation against red states. This is not a red and blue america. We all want to make this country work better.
▶ 0:59:37Sen. Merkley: Find the best site, let's let it stand and back it up unanimously.
▶ 0:59:43Chair Capito: Senator cramer and then senator sullivan.
▶ 0:59:49Sen. Cramer: I appreciate senator merkley's point, we are not competing. This is in the army navy game, we are talking about billions of dollars with an excess of federal property that we can't get rid of. This is not a maryland versus virginia competition. This is about where the fbi should be located.
▶ 1:00:15Sen. Cramer: As blue as maryland is, there is no place in the world in washington, D.C.
▶ 1:00:28Sen. Sullivan: I work well with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I kind of wish senator merkley's argument was made during the biden administration, they issued 70 executive orders. Similarly focused on alaska to shut down my state's economy, crushed its ability to produce natural resources for america.
▶ 1:00:57Sen. Sullivan: These are not executive orders on every state in the country. Only and exclusively to alaska. The federal court came out and said they were illegal. It's a little rich when my state got creamed and singled out by the last administration. It was just outrageous.
▶ 1:01:27Sen. Sullivan: I just want to make that clear.
▶ 1:01:30Chair Capito: Any other comments? I will call of committee resolution to approve a full replacement of the fire alarm system, there are three resolutions here. A complete replacement of the fire alarm system through the ronald reagan federal office building, pdc 0000af-dc25. I moved to approve the resolutions. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 1:02:02Chair Capito: Do we need to have a roll call? We could have a voice vote. The aye's have it. Next I will call of committee resolution to approve the repair of the existing atrium of the ronald reagan federal office building gsa number pdc00004-wa06. Is there a second? Could we go for a voice vote?
▶ 1:02:33Chair Capito: Clerk will call the roll. [voting]
▶ 1:03:18Chair Capito: The clerk will report. >> the yay's are 10 nad >> the yay's are 10 nand the nay's are nine.
▶ 1:03:29Chair Capito: The resolution is approved. I call of the repair and configuration of the ronald reagan federal office building to replace the existing headquarters of the fbi for the consolidation of fbi leases and the capital region. Gsa prospectus gdc-fbihq0-dc25. I moved to approve. >> second.
▶ 1:03:58Chair Capito: Clerk will call the roll. [voting]
▶ 1:04:43Chair Capito: Clerk will report. >> the yay's are 10, the nay's are nine.
▶ 1:04:50Chair Capito: I will now call of many of these are our bipartisan bills. I now call up s029 I now call up s0282 act of 2025. Are there any amendments? I move the committee report the bill favorably. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 1:05:11Chair Capito: The clerk will call the roll. [voting]
▶ 1:06:03Chair Capito: The clerk will report the yay's and nay's. >> the yay's are 16 and the names are three.
▶ 1:06:14Chair Capito: I will now call of the diesel reduction act of 2025. Does any senator wish to be recognized? >> I would like to call up sullivan amendment one and then I will withdraw it and speak to it after this entire session is done so I don't hold up any colleagues. I will speak to it after all of the votes.
▶ 1:06:38Chair Capito: I moved to pass and report the legislation favorably. All those in favor? In the opinion of the chair the aye's have it. The chair notes that a quorum of the committee is present. Next I will call up s.2741 the legacy mine cleanup back. We will consider the kelly amendment as adopted.
▶ 1:07:09Chair Capito: Does any senator wish to offer additional amendments? I moved to pass and report the legislation modified favorably, is there a second? All of those in favor say aye. In the opinion of the chair, the aye's have it. The chair notes for the record a quorum of the committee is present.
▶ 1:07:31Chair Capito: I now call up s.3022 the marine debris infrastructure program reauthorization act, does any senator amendment? >> I have a comment. There are two things that came out of the earlier studies.
▶ 1:07:51Chair Capito: One is that textiles are a major source, the largest known source of microfiber plastic pollution in our water. One of the recommendations is how textiles are disposed, they are made out of plastic.
▶ 1:08:14Chair Capito: The second is the ability when we wash our clothes, to look at requiring more advanced incentives to have micro-filters on our washing machines. I realize there is not favorable support, I want to emphasize we keep these microfibers out.
▶ 1:08:47Chair Capito: The microfibers of plastic in our bodies, we have to look at these issues. Thanks. >> let me just offer a word of accommodation to the distinguished senator from oregon who has immense determination and energy into pursuing these issues. Often in subcommittee of this committee.
▶ 1:09:11Chair Capito: I look forward to being able to work towards a bipartisan piece of legislation to help address those concerns.
▶ 1:09:20Chair Capito: We could say that is something we should definitely proceed with. I will move to pass and report the legislation favorably. Is there a second? All of those in favor. In the opinion of the chair the aye's have it. The legislation is favorably reported. The chair notes for the record a quorum of the committee is present.
▶ 1:09:49Chair Capito: Okay, by agreement with the ranking member we will consider the remaining four agenda items by voice vote. I call up s.2110, s. 2878, s. 287 and s. 2319, a bill to designate the federal building located at 300 west congress street in tucson, arizona as the raul m.
▶ 1:10:17Chair Capito: Grijalva federal building. I will move the committee report the votes favorably. Is there a second? >> second.
▶ 1:10:30Chair Capito: In the opinion of the chair the aye's have it. I know for the record the quorum of the committee is present at this time. I want to thank everybody for their dutiful attendance. I will now call on senator sullivan.
▶ 1:10:48Sen. Sullivan: I called up sullivan amendment one two senate 2235 the diesel reduction act and I withdrew that. I withdrawing my amendment today and I appreciate the committee's willingness to advance meaningful fixed to a one-size-fits-all regulation on diesel exhaust fluid or def.
▶ 1:11:16Sen. Sullivan: That simply doesn't work in cold states. We have a lot of cold states here. Across the country every cold-weather state is negatively impacted. Here is the issue, in 2010, the epa required dcm's will to use diesel exhausted fluid to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. That is not a bad goal.
▶ 1:11:43Sen. Sullivan: The problem is def freezes solid at just 12 degrees above zero. A lot of our states, that is pretty average. We get down to 50 below zero in alaska. Onboard truck sensors register this as a cold system whether failure and the truck immediately shuts down or barely works.
▶ 1:12:14Sen. Sullivan: In other words when nothing is wrong mechanically the engine is forced to shut down entirely just to stay compliant with this epa regulation. A good friend of mine, a big game hunting guide from alaska, his truck was shut down by its own sensors failing in cold weather.
▶ 1:12:41Sen. Sullivan: He was stranded in subzero temperatures miles away from any help in alaska. Simply because a regulation was required for the whole country that makes no sense in states with very cold weather like alaska. Unfortunately the story is not unique. We have heard from countless alaskans and other people from states that have cold weather who faced the same situation.
▶ 1:13:13Sen. Sullivan: Truckers, fuel haulers, their equipment didn't fail but because of these federal regulations, there engine was shut down. My amendment, I will be introducing directs the epa to make practical targeted updates so that one diesel engines aren't forced to shut down when the mission sensors fail in freezing conditions.
▶ 1:13:41Sen. Sullivan: Trucks in heavy equipment that operate could qualify for exemptions from the def requirements that are unsafe or impossible to meet when it's 10 below zero. While I withdraw my amendment today I committee, it gets cold in rhode island and oregon as well as alaska and wyoming to advance this critical public safety fix because this is about public safety.
▶ 1:14:11Sen. Sullivan: Your engine shuts down at 40 below zero you have no cell service you can die. That is happening in my state because of federal regulation that is a one-size-fits-all drag that does not take into account that a lot of america gets cold in the winter. I am hoping that we can pass my amendment in a separate bill, but I will withdraw today but I'm hoping we can move this forward soon, madam chair.
▶ 1:14:37Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator lummis?
▶ 1:14:42Sen. Lummis: I have a constituent who was bypassing this system because school buses, fire trucks, ambulances that run on diesel would not run. And for his work, he was put in jail for eight months.
▶ 1:15:08Sen. Lummis: He is currently at home in cheyenne, wyoming, with an ankle bracelet. He went to prison for making fire trucks run because of a regulation that the epa passed. This was never enacted as a law by the congress of the united states.
▶ 1:15:32Sen. Lummis: It was a regulation that imposed a criminal penalty on mechanics who made engines run in cold weather. It is absolutely shameful. >> will my colleague yield?
▶ 1:15:49Sen. Lummis: We have had the same thing in alaska where mechanics have tried to fix this so the engines don't shut down and the epa has rated these mechanics shops with, you know, weapons, guns and it is outrageous. It is like the epa gestapo to arrest people who are trying to fix engines so they don't shut down. The whole thing is a mess.
▶ 1:16:21Sen. Lummis: We need to fix it.
▶ 1:16:22Chair Capito: I look forward to working with you and other members of the committee. Senator husted.
▶ 1:16:31Sen. Husted: I would like to thank you, madam chairman, and the ranking member and members of the committee for your support of the great lakes reauthorization act. I'm the only member of the committee I believe that represents a great lakes state, great threats invasive species and other threats come environmental threats to the fishery of the great lakes and this will help make sure we protect that wonderful resource of all the great lakes states in our nation.
▶ 1:17:00Chair Capito: Thank you for your advocacy for the great lakes. Senator merkley.
▶ 1:17:08Sen. Merkley: I would like to thank you and your team for collaboration on the reuse act. This act really is striving to address plastic pollution reusable and refillable products and systems. I have two items I would like entered into the record saying how important is to pursue this approach.
▶ 1:17:33Chair Capito: So ordered. I would like to say to senator merkley that I know this particular bill is extremely important to you and that as part of our recycling efforts, the bill that senator whitehouse and I worked on together, this was part of the agreement that we would work together to further this issue. With that, I think the business portion of this meeting is over.
▶ 1:18:03Chair Capito: Again, thank you for everybody for coming and staying and with that, the business meeting is adjourned.