Washington D.C. – Mandy Gunasekara, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appointee and Life:Powered senior fellow, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on America’s leadership on energy production and environmental protection.
The following are excerpts from Gunasekara’s testimony:
Our energy industry and the men and women who work in it are to be celebrated, not demonized. This country’s ability to harness our vast energy resources in a responsible and efficient manner has changed millions of lives for the better. It is why life expectancy and economic growth—both important indicators of human flourishing—have significantly improved.
Our successful energy industry is also why we lead the world in environmental progress. Advancements in natural gas extraction that led to horizontal drilling have been a key driver of our world-leading emissions reductions. While many countries, including those that subscribe to the Paris Agreement, continue to struggle with achieving meaningful emissions reductions, the United States leads the world.
We also lead the world in clean air progress. Today, we are breathing the cleanest air on record. Through a combination of balanced environmental regulations and market innovations like state-of-the-art scrubbers and more efficient manufacturing processes, the United States has reduced six criteria pollutants, including lead and ozone, by 74 percent since 1970. We are also home to the cleanest drinking water in the world.
At the start of 2019, the Trump administration has already saved Americans over $2 billion in unnecessary regulatory expenditures. Instead of sending money to Washington, DC, the regulated community is investing in their own businesses in the form of hiring new employees and installing the latest and greatest technologies that is good for both the economy and the environment.