{"id":1953706,"date":"2023-06-21T23:05:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T03:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-official-finally-testifies-to-house-on-controversial-emissions-rules-after-refusal-in-may\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T23:07:22","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T03:07:22","slug":"epa-official-finally-testifies-to-house-on-controversial-emissions-rules-after-refusal-in-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-official-finally-testifies-to-house-on-controversial-emissions-rules-after-refusal-in-may\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA Official Testifies on Emissions Rules to House After May Refusal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fepa-official-finally-testifies-to-house-on-controversial-emissions-rules-after-refusal-in-may%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1953706&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>The House is Done Waiting: EPA Official Faces Congress<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The House is no longer \u201cWaiting for Goffman,\u201d a top Environmental Protection Agency official who appeared before Congress on June 21 after declining to show up to a similar May 17 <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/hearing\/driving-bad-policy-examining-epas-tailpipe-emissions-rules-and-the-realities-of-a-rapid-electric-vehicle-transition\/\">hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In both cases, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability wanted the Office of Air and Radiation\u2019s Joseph Goffman to discuss his agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-official-finally-testifies-to-house-on-controversial-emissions-rules-after-refusal-in-may\/\" title=\"EPA Official Testifies on Emissions Rules to House After May Refusal\">proposed tailpipe emissions rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA anticipates its rules will help drive a mass-scale transition to electric cars in the next decade. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/biden-epas-new-vehicle-emissions-standards-sparks-backlash-from-auto-industry-republicans_5190484.html\">predicts<\/a> that two-thirds of new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epas-absence-from-house-ev-hearing-raises-eyebrows\/\" title=\"EPA's no-show at EV hearing raises concerns.\">light-body vehicles sold<\/a> in the United States will be electric by 2032.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) wasted no time in asking Goffman the obvious question: why didn\u2019t he show up last time?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4916229\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/12\/10\/GettyImages-1241178123-1200x801.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) speaks during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 8, 2022. (Jason Andrew-Pool\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\u201cFor my part, as with many things, it was primarily scheduling,\u201d Goffman responded.<\/p>\n<p>However, the bureaucrat\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/senior-leaders-calendars\/calendar-joseph-goffman-principal-deputy-assistant-administrator-office\">official EPA calendar<\/a> was empty from April 1 onward, including on May 17.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times has reached out to the EPA seeking comment.<\/p>\n<p>When Fallon asked Goffman whether the choice to refuse had come from another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/british-coronavirus-variant-found-in-traveller-to-sweden-health-agency\/\" title=\"British coronavirus variant found in traveller to Sweden \u2013 health agency\">agency official<\/a>, Goffman said he had \u201cparticipated in the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you couldn\u2019t change and adjust your schedule for the United States\u2019 Congress?\u201d the Texas congressman asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was difficult,\u201d replied Goffman, a veteran of the Obama EPA whose LinkedIn profile credits him with a leading role in developing that administration\u2019s Clean Power Plan and standards for carbon pollution.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden official has also served as counsel for Senate Democrats in that chamber\u2019s environmental committee. He was also a senior attorney at the environmental group now called the Environmental Defense Fund and, more recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/hls.harvard.edu\/today\/joseph-goffman-joins-environmental-law-program-new-executive-director\/\">executive director<\/a> of the Environmental Law Program at Harvard Law School.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was more important?\u201d Fallon asked.<\/p>\n<p>Goffman dodged the question: \u201cWell, let me assure you, Mr. Chairman, that I am pleased to be here today. I understand that it\u2019s my obligation and commitment not only to be here today but to continue to provide this committee and the Congress with\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think this is an institutional thing,\u201d Fallon interrupted, calling for \u201cbipartisan, frankly, outrage\u201d over the EPA\u2019s decision not to attend the May hearing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would hope that in the future you would clear your calendar for Congress,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<h2>Goffman Awaits Confirmation Amid Controversy<\/h2>\n<p>Goffman\u2019s back-and-forth with Fallon comes amid a number of conflicts and controversies involving the official, who Biden nominated to lead the EPA\u2019s Office of Air and Radiation.<\/p>\n<p>The nomination finally passed through a key Senate committee in April of this year, weeks after the EPA released its controversial vehicle emissions proposals\u2013and weeks before Goffman chose not to appear at the House hearing to respond to those proposals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Goffman has demonstrated a dedication to public service and a deep sense of integrity. He has implemented the law in a way that provides cleaner air and a safer climate for all, while also giving industry predictability and certainty,\u201d Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epw.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/2023\/4\/epw-committee-advances-epa-air-and-enforcement-nominations\">said<\/a> after Goffman moved forward in a 10-9 vote.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2419160\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2018\/01\/20\/GettyImages-907300670.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (left-right) walk out of a Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 19, 2018. (Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>The same committee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epw.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/2022\/11\/ranking-member-capito-epw-republicans-vote-against-nomination-of-joe-goffman-to-lead-epa-s-air-office\">deadlocked<\/a> in a 10-10 vote on Goffman\u2019s nomination in November 2022, when the Senate was split down the middle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth throughout his [Goffman\u2019s] previous service in the Obama administration and during the 22 months he has been at EPA in the Biden administration in a non-Senate-confirmed role, he has made his leadership style and policy views clear,\u201d Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (D-W.Va.) said at the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has worked to develop regulations that harm our energy sector, will raise prices on American families and businesses, and are based on overreaching, illegal interpretations of the Clean Air Act as found by the Supreme Court,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Protect the Public\u2019s Trust, a group founded by Trump administration veteran Michael Chamberlain, has <a href=\"https:\/\/protectpublicstrust.org\/press-releases\/epa-ethics-personnel-bent-over-backward-to-minimize-senior-climate-officials-alleged-misconduct\/\">been calling for transparency over<\/a> \u201capparent ethics violation\u201d involving Goffman\u2019s former employer, Harvard.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2021, Goffman communicated with a former Harvard colleague in connection with the arrangement of a meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoseph Goffman appeared to violate the Biden Administration Ethics Pledge (EO 13989) prohibiting him from participating in any particular matters involving his former employer, Harvard University,\u201d Protect the Public\u2019s Trust wrote in an August 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.protectpublicstrust.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Goffman-IG-complaint.pdf?_gl=1*1xprz8f*_ga*NzczNTgyOTg5LjE2ODczODM2MDY.*_ga_K09WRJY2HE*MTY4NzM4MzYwNi4xLjEuMTY4NzM4NDYyMC4wLjAuMA..*_ga_WJFQ1FDX8Y*MTY4NzM4MzYwNi4xLjEuMTY4NzM4NDYyMC4wLjAuMA..&#038;_ga=2.155788920.2105869223.1687383606-773582989.1687383606\">ethics complaint<\/a> to the EPA and its inspector general.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/protectpublicstrust.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/EPA-2022-002747-April-Final-Production.pdf\">records<\/a> obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obama-ethics-chief-shaub-biden-admin-has-conflicts-of-interest\/\" title=\"Obama Ethics Chief Shaub: Biden admin. has conflicts of interest\">ethics director<\/a>, Justina Fugh, characterized Goffman\u2019s move as an \u201coops\u201d that \u201coccurred.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough a technical violation of the pledge, I don\u2019t see that there are any ramifications. The error has been corrected. I have notified the EPA Chief of Staff and the White House already, and White House Counsel\u2019s office has declined to take any further action on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-top-biden-epa-nominee-may-have-violated-key-ethics-pledge-watchdogs-say\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Top Biden EPA Nominee May Have \u2018Violated\u2019 Key Ethics Pledge, Watchdogs Say\">pledge violation<\/a>,\u201d she wrote in a May 2021 email contained in those records.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times has also sought comment on this from the EPA.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Racial Justice Through Direct Climate Action\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) defended Goffman and the EPA\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we have a different witness today, the science and the facts remain the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPollution is <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability finally got the chance to hear from Joseph Goffman, a top official from the Environmental Protection Agency. Goffman had previously declined to attend a hearing on May 17 but appeared before Congress on June 21 to discuss his agency&#8217;s work in the Office of Air and Radiation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":1953707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1953706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1953706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1953706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1953706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1953706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}