"WASHINGTON -- The head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday strongly defended the approach and legitimacy of an Obama administration power plant rule that Republicans attacked as regulatory overreach and Democrats said was vital.

In a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the rule proposed last month will remove hundreds of millions of tons of carbon and hundreds of thousands of tons of other harmful air pollutants from the emissions of existing power plants that now taint the nation’s skies, boosting the health of American citizens and of the planet in general.

'The science is clear. The risks are clear. And the high costs of climate inaction are clear,' McCarthy told the panel in what was her first time testifying on the power plant rule. 'We must act.'"

Chris Adams reports for McClatchy July 23, 2014. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Republicans Target NRDC 'Lobbying Machine' in Hearing on Climate Rule" (Greenwire) [3]

"States Against E.P.A. Rule on Carbon Pollution Would Gain, Study Finds" (New York Times) [4]

"Republican Senator Slams EPA Chief: 'you Don't Run This Country'" (The Hill) [5]

"EPA Gears Up for Public Hearings on Climate Rule" (The Hill) [6]

"EPA to Require Photo IDs to Attend Climate Change Hearings" (The Blaze) [7]