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Floor Speech

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Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I rise today in support of Joe Goffman's nomination to serve as Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation.

At the end of last year, I joined several of our colleagues to discuss our recent delegation trip to Dubai for the annual United Nations climate conference, known as COP28. While on the ground, our message to the world was clear: The United States is again leading the global effort to attack the climate crisis.

That leadership is thanks in no small part to the Biden administration's work to implement the unprecedented climate and clean energy investments that many of us here on this floor helped to enact into law. It is also thanks to the historic action by the Environmental Protection Agency to rein in climate pollution in a way that supports economic growth and job creation.

Still, meeting our Nation's climate goals, reducing harmful air pollution, and supporting good-paying, clean energy jobs requires having the right leadership in place.

As I have said before many times on this floor, the Office of Air and Radiation has an outside impact on our lives, and the American people deserve someone leading this office who is committed to carrying out its mission. That includes reducing climate pollution, while also improving our vehicle emissions standards and protecting public health--all of which go hand in hand with economic growth and job creation.

Mr. Goffman has proven that he is up to the task. Under his direction, the EPA has made significant progress in implementing many of the programs that we secured in the Inflation Reduction Act. That includes programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help lower energy costs for all Americans.

From the earliest days of his career serving on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which I am now privileged to chair, to his time at EPA under President Obama and now President Biden, Joe Goffman has dedicated his life's work to cleaning up the air that we breathe and protecting our one and only planet. He is thoughtful, he is principled, and he is humble. I know those things because Joe has served as chief counsel of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which I am now privileged to chair.

Importantly, he has followed and continues to follow the law, and he does so in a way that also provides certainty and predictability for the industry.

Joe Goffman is also committed to fair outcomes, and that is because he cares about doing things the right way while listening to the concerns of all who might be impacted by changes to our Nation's clean air standards. Don't just take my word for it. Over 50 groups representing a broad coalition of interests, from--oh my, what a wide group, and I will mention them in a minute--they voiced their support for Joe Goffman's confirmation to serve as EPA's Assistant Administrator.

Here is just a sample of the breadth of the groups that are supporting his nomination: National Resources Defense Council, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation. That is to name a few. Just as importantly, though, key industry partners, such as the Edison Electric Institute and the Renewable Fuels Association, support Joe Goffman's nomination. Finally, Joe Goffman's nomination has the support of some of our Nation's largest labor unions, and they include the AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers. Even the United Mine Workers of America, our Nation's largest union of coal miners, has voiced its support for Mr. Goffman's nomination. A coalition this broad does not happen every day and certainly not on this floor, and it bears testimony to Joe's character and his commitment to doing what is right.

Let me close, if I could, by saying that Joe Goffman, I believe, is the right person to lead EPA's Office of Air and Radiation during this critical time for our Nation. I am confident that he will excel in this important role, in part because he is already doing the job. I do not doubt that Joe will be considerate, he will be courteous, and he will be inclusive as he develops EPA's rules to reduce harmful pollution, clean up the air we breathe, and protect America's health and well- being.

With that, I want to urge our colleagues to join me and to join us, I hope, in supporting Mr. Goffman's nomination so that he can continue serving the Nation. He will not disappoint us in the confidence we have placed in him.

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