I think it the nail on the head when it comes to this. Overreach by the President, uh. I rise today in support of the uh growing calls for action on climate change. That are echoing in every corner of this nation. The science is overwhelming. The evidence is clear and then less we take immediate action. We will lose our planet as we know it. No we're More at stake than my home state of new Mexico and the southwest which are in the bullseye of global warming and less, we act against greenhouse gas pollution rising temperatures, drought, wildfire d for deforestation will permanently harm our communities because I believe in climate science and because I believe we desperately need to act. I must strong Oppose the confirmation of Andrew wheeler to lead our nation's environmental protection agency. Mr wheeler has consistently advocated for measures that would damage the environment hurt public health and do longterm injury to the economy and his record on climate change and the record of the of his administration are simply dis qualifying mister wheeler nomination is among the worst in a long Line a backwards nominations by this President for someone who wants to lead the environmental protection agency, the keyword being protection. Mr wheelers priorities are upside down. Let's be blunt with the American people. Mr wheeler was not nominated to protect the environment and human health. He was nominated to unravel and undo the environmental protections that are now in place. He was nominee Stop any new environmental and public health protections from being initiated. He was nominated to go easy on those who violate existing environmental laws and he was nominated to stand in the way of climate science and climate action. So far by these measures, he has been a great success for a President who mocks climate science, who denies This existential threat, even exist, but there's no success for the American people. Mr wheeler nomination puts the American public a great risk and we should firmly oppose making his appointment permanent. Unfortunately, Mr wheelers upside down priorities don't end at climate change in addition to actively resisting climate action. Mister wheeler is not looking out for the health and wellbeing of my constituents are protecting my state's most pressing precious resource Our water, they're, like so many other parts of the country, fire foam used by the air force's contaminated ground water with toxic chemicals, known as P. Foss. These chemicals are linked to various cancers, heart disease and other ailments ground water in around in and around cannon air force base near clovis new Mexico is contaminated with P foss. This is dairy come one dairy is actually being put out of business because the P foss is in ground water and it is contaminated. This farmer's water Wells, the family owns the dairy and its hardworking employees have drank water from these Wells for years. Well, a wheel or epa put us in this situation will they help us out of it. Well during his confirmation, hearings he refused to commit to setting a drinking water standard than Later we find out he had already decided not to set standards for these toxic chemicals in December of last year, under bipartisan pressure he has since backed down and says epa will set a standard. Someday. I wouldn't hold my breath in the meantime, millions of Americans and the dairies in eastern new Mexico are being hurt. Furthermore, Mr wheeler is a committed soldier in the long running assault on science that President trump has championed one Constituents. Sl era hughes wrote this week asking me to vote against this nomination. She writes. I grew up in corrales surrounded by farmland and fresh air. I remember when the real grande was full of water and ditches in the boss cake fro flowed freely, climate change and drought have changed forever the land I called home and my daughter will not remember a time without severe fire danger and ozone pollution, so Larry wants me to vote No, because mister wheeler is putting our children's health and future at risk, according to the 20, eighteen fourth National climate assessment, we have 12 years to turn this around for. Sl era. Her daughter in the world soon the impacts will become irreversible. The previous epa set rules to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 20 30. Mr wheelers new plan will allow increased emissions from fossil fuel plants and instead he is no When it comes to even modest standards for methane waste from oil and gas operations, methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Eighty five eighty four times more potent than carbon dioxide over the initial 20 year period epa is prior methane rules would have cut back methane pollution in a cost effective way. Those regulations are out the window under mister wheeler and replaced Loose rules adding hundreds of thousands of tons of methane volatile organic compounds and toxins into the air climate change is the most significant threat facing our planet. Epa is the agency that should be leading the charge on tackling this threat from mister wheeler is a former lobbyist for the coal industry. Like so many other nominations the President has again put the Fox in charge of the hen House. This time the consequences could be disastrous and Iran For our country and our planet, if we vote to confirm him there will be little if any hope for climate action for the next two years. Mister wheeler leaves no doubt whose side he's on his record shows that under his watch big polluters will get off scot free companies that pollute often try to reduce their cost of business and increase their profits by dumping that pollution and its cost on society as a whole when environmental Failed to enforce the rules against polluters, bad actors get an unfair advantage, lax environmental enforcement is bad for American businesses who do the right thing and bad for taxpayers who get stuck with the cleanup bills. Sadly, Mr wheeler cpa is the poster child for lax enforcement in 20 eighteen epa collected the smallest amount of civil penalties against polluters since 19 94 inspections are Half of what they were in 20 10 up a charge, the fewest criminal defendants, since 19 91 it's saw a steep drop in civil judicial enforcement cases. As well, and the bad news it goes on and on so the best that can be said of Mr wheelers record is that he is not Scott pruitt, as far as we know, he's not abused taxpayer funds or staff for a variety of luxurious perks or rented his House from a lobbyist, but the bar is so It's in the Capitol basement indeed, I believe that the epa under this President has reached an alltime low. There is hardly even any pretense that their goal is to safeguard the environment and public health. They are actively damaging our environment and actively resisting action on climate change. At a time when young people and so many others across new Mexico and this country are crying out for action, we simply Must do better so I will vote no and I will urge my colleagues to consider the consequences of this nomination for their children grandchildren and beyond, and to vote no as well Mister President, I note the absence of a coral Click on the record through strong Alexander