The administrator of the United StatesEnvironmental Protection agency andrew wheeler, this marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of president nixons creation of the epa. The epas work he paralyzes the challenges of modern administration, challenges of expertise and democrat accountability, regulatory responses, rules of law, government power and conservation and innovation, discuss the epas mission, its record in the road ahead, opening remarks and have some questions. You can have questions on the event page and our youtube page. By email to elaine. Alan. Epa. Org. Welcome. Thank you for inviting me to be here today. I provide reflections of the past 50 years of the Environmental Protection agency and layout plans for its future. Today i would like to explain based on what we accomplished over the last few years. It is incontrovertible that today the environment is in better shape under donald trump and we found it. Since 2017 air pollution has fallen 7 . Last year epa delisted 27 sites, the most in a single year since 2001. And 27 sites this year. And clean Water Infrastructure supporting 7100 high priority projects, 27,000 jobs under Donald Trumps first term. The trump epa recovered more criminal and Civil Penalties for enforcement in our first term than the Obama Biden Administration did in their first term. These successes are a big deal. Great news in terms of Americans Health and wellbeing, most great news, you rarely read about it in newspapers or watch on news channels. The news media purposefully under reports good news from the administration. The civil action, the Trump Administration collected more in civil and communal penalties in the Obama Biden Administration in its first term, they reported this fact because it doesnt fit the press narrative. A big deal was made when donald trump left the Paris Climate Accord which would have treated the us economy unfairly yet the us has seen a 15 reduction in energyrelated Carbon Dioxide emissions since 2005. During this time the us cut its Greenhouse Gas emissions more than britain, france, germany, italy and canada combined. China meanwhile has increased theiry by 50 since 2005. The Trump Administration and its first term has taken four concrete actions to reduce Greenhouse Gases. First the Affordable Clean Energy rules which will cut overall Carbon Emissions from the Us Power Sector by 34 , 2005 levels by 2030. Our safer vehicles rule, and allowed countries to d5 purchasing credits related to actions that didnt impact emissions or paying fines. We proposed a new rule for aircraft that represents the first time the us ever adopted emission standards for aviation and the new rules make it easier and less expensive for natural gas companies, and natural gas infrastructure. As john adams said facts are stubborn things can at whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations dictate our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. There is a lot of evidence during the Previous Administration especially in its second term, overweening focus on Climate Change took the form of virtue signaling and foreign capitals, it the expense of running the agency and ensuring an environment for all americans, aside from their attempt at the United States will they solely focused on Climate Change at the expense of other environmental indicators. Weve done more in the first four years of the Trump Administration to improve the environment than any administration except the first years of epa. The Trump Administration e penalized, on the epa to protect human health and the environment. We finalize eight major rulemakings before the end of this term. The Affordable Clean Energy rule, the safe rule, the first assistance, ccr and dlg rules, the ozone act, primary by the end of this year. All these regulations improve the environment. The largest backlog of unfinished Agency Business in our history. During the final four years of the Obama Administration an enormous backlog of all kinds was built up. At the beginning of this administration we inherited a backlog of 700 state of limitation plans under the clean air act. Weve taken action on 500, states and cities need to improve so focus on cleaning up their environment. Environmental work will not be getting done and approval can help reduce air pollution when cities and counties, companies remove their facilities rather than wait for air quality levels, in detroit, chicago and cleveland in 70s, 80s and 90s with the inability to get permits. The backlog of shifts has been one of the invisible but real causes for Environmental Justice over the past several decades. Any location out a attainment cannot make it back into attainment unless they were first broadcast and carried out. Many of these plan set for years in limbo, either approved nor rejected for a variety of reasons including deficient and could not be approved, but improving or disapproving these plans or prior administrations, just let them sit sometime for decades. We discovered applications filed in the 1990s, in places like san joaquin valley, california and arizona. In wyoming in 1987, we discovered unprocessed from october of 197545 years ago. Conserving Water Pollution the backlog of the national discharge illumination system and permits, and 32 in 2017. Too Many Americans near superfund sites. And the major focus of the Trump Administration, the first few years of office, a partial deletion of 55 sites in the npr. 27 last year the most in a single year since 2001. The 27 sites last year, 14 sites were on the list since the 1980s, is the 1990s. And and and the first term 282 sites. It is worth repeating, the Trump Administration in his first four years matched the amount of superfund sites by the Obama Administration in eight years of office. They were on mpl for more than 30 years. Fool partial deletion of the site, if the site is appropriate, it can be freed of a superfund site. The most polluted and hazardous sites, and the important emission was given by congress. When we clean up and return some to these communities were approved use, epa is strengthening our country where it needs to be strongest. There are many other examples about working down this backlog. The family of chemicals has been around since the 1950s and now administration ever took them on. They took an action plan that uses all Program Offices to deal with emerging chemical concerns. The action plan outlines 20 key focus areas for short and longterm goals, National Research and Risk Communication plan. And in flint michigan, the next several weeks, the testing of land, all schools in daycare centers. A final rule in april of 2019 strengthening as best us regulations for the first time in 30 years. This rule closed a dangerous loophole that could have allowed insulation to return to the us marketplace with epa review. We completely eliminating the backlog on the states list of impaired waters marking the first time in a decade this backlog, january 2017 epa approved 7000 total maximum daily load plans to restore polluted waters, 25 increase, the backlog of actions has fallen dramatically from 100 in 2017 to just a single state priority in july of this year. At 90 decrease in the backlog and doing so while proving a higher percentage of state Water Quality standards than at any point in the last administration. Yet despite significant efforts to update water standards some states are trying to derail one of the nations most successful watershed partnerships. In the chesapeake bays tmd ls. Historic project, the past decades is evidence of how strong partnerships with states can create better environmental outcomes. Downstream states choose politics over progress in an Election Year and sue epa over a position developed by the Obama Administration a few years ago on a more positive note we are supporting American Energy by reducing the underground injection control or class 2 permit backlog by 70 since the beginning of the administration. We cut the length of time for permits to less than 150 days down from the average of 500 days in the past. January of 2017 the backlog of new chemicals under review for 90 days had grown to 500. As of today the number of chemicals epa has rendered for review it is less than 200, 60 decrease in the agency is considered 2900 new chemical submission since the beginning of this administration and when it comes to enforcement we have reversed the decline in the epa criminal program that began in 2011 by being bringing new agents. 2019, the number of new criminal cases increased for the First Time Since 2017 with a 40 increase since 2017 with the number of new criminal cases of potential environmental crimes offered by epa and it turns out delivering for American Communities also means there are things we are not doing. We are not recognizing enforcement, were using it for social engineering. We are simply using our enforcement tools to solve environmental problems like protecting drinking water, lead exposure, revitalizing communities and these accomplishments could not have happened with all the hard work of career employees. By imprinting the Management System across the agency in 2017 we freed up many of the bureaucratic obstacles that plagued this agency for so long. This is a lot of information and detail but only by being honest about the past can we ensure a Better Future for the communities in this country that have been left behind because it goes without saying america is a nation made of communities and communities are the foundation of the nation and not the other way around. This is an issue at the core of our countrys fight for Environmental Justice. After my speech at the Nixon Library i was criticized by some in the press on our Environmental Justice record. The Trump Administration has done more to elevate Environmental Justice than any president since george w. Bush created the program. First we elevated Environmental Justice out of the Enforcement Office to the administrators office, being stuck in enforcement relegated Environmental Justice to be considered afterthefact instead of at the beginning of our policies and rulemakings. The opportunity for tax credits created by the trump tax reform in 2017 is done more to help Environmental Justice communities with environmental problems and all the grants of the past few years. Third americas Water Infrastructure act which was signed into law by donald trump in 2018 codified the office of Environmental Justice for the first time. We are putting this through our Program Offices and improving communities at a pace not seen before. Look at our superfund sites, in birmingham, alabama, the bombings in 1963 that killed four girls and set the fifteenth street baptist church, we cleaned up 480 properties, 460,000 tons emanated with lead, arsenic and other heavy metals from that community. The uss website in east chicago, we cleaned up 671 Residential Properties and removed contaminated soil from 95 are allowing the city to redevelop. Lead contamination and eight historically black low income residential neighborhoods, playgrounds and day cares and added the site to the National Priority list. Colorados low income, and residential and commercial, almost a century ago. The cleanup and completion by 7 years, atlanta, georgia in four years, a raised awareness of lead levels in westside neighborhoods. When i visited the site you got to see firsthand the work epa was doing to protect the health and safety of those living in the English Avenue and city communities which are among the cities of course, with Environmental Justice worked to help 200 of the poorest communities, with devastating hurricanes of 2017. Partnering with ngos and Battery Storage allowing them to continue to provide water during power outages. With the lead and copper rule, and what was replaced in the last 30 years. Everyone regarding this resolves safe drinking water. Regarding her quality, from locations from nonattainment to attainment status helps inner cities, to see Previous Administrations not focus on this. We have taken action over 1206 new and backlogged, we redesignated 54 nonattainment areas during this time. Another 25 can be redesignated by 2022. Areas that regain their attainment include indianapolis, reentered attainment for sulfur dioxide in may of this year, regained attainment in 2017, and a particular matter in 2019. Meeting these standards protect people from asthma, heart and lung disease, other health issues. We need to recognize this in the past. A form of harm is neglect, it is not fair to act in ways that enough political power to stop the neglect. What we should be striving for, and environmentalism that promote community revitalization. To all the rhetoric and political campaigns. What we have in the United States in terms of the environment is unique and i want to conserve it for future generations. And they need our help. Our environment in the United States taken as a whole, this is cleaner than most, and the regarding environment protection. I have a clear vision for epa. The communities and citizens of the United States. He selected a good slogan, progress for a stronger future. I was in st. Louis talking with a leader. It hurt church finances, and strengthening the foundation of communities. I am reminded of Something Else tocqueville wrote two centuries ago, the health of the Democratic Society measured by quality of functions performed by private citizens. Focusing on communities, with environmental laws with local governments, to help themselves, the best way to improve the quality of the environment for physical and spiritual across the nation. This will take some time to redirect not just Human Resources but emotional resources because in some ways it is heartbreaking for pollution to continue to suffer and abandon what other places prosper. If you want to know the proper role for the administrator state in the 21st century this is it. I believe focusing epa towards communities, it living in this country have been left behind simply for living in different places. As i said several times in the past everyone deserves to have a Clean Environment regardless of where they live. We have work that has been neglected for years, we will do it within durability that, stand future environmental challenges the nation will face. Even those we cannot now imagine or anticipate. If we can do the work before us, the root of so many perverse environmental outcomes in this country we can protect the places we love and bring back those hurt by fruition. I thank you for the invitation to speak today. And the more current issues. And we focus on, a superfund has been a problem, the administration superfund to remedy some of these harms. Why has it been such a difficult program to administer and why was it so successful in turning around. Focusing on the results. The program the fortieth anniversary this year. Over 40 years, focusing on measuring activities, focusing on getting those sites, the next in speech i was attacked by former epa staff, one of the career staff, the number of superfund constructions declined under our administration. That is an activity not related to the result. GroundWater Pollution, we install trump, pump and treat system at the site. We install the equipment when installed, that was an instruction completion. The equipment operates for years, sometimes decades, all the water has been treated, cleaned up. In the past, critics reporting to a meaningless statistic. They would not necessarily go down. They made the case for me, focused on an outdated activity that is not a measure of the success of the program by cleaning up the results. You mentioned criticism, my next question how to think of the relationship between the leadership of the epa and the Civil Servants over time. It was Constitution Day when attorney general william barr dedicated an entire speech through the relationship between the leadership of an agency and the career staff, the experts in the agency. What do you think of the relationship between the politically Accountable Leadership in the constitutional process and those who serve in the agency often from one administration to the next to the next . We have the most dedicated federal employees at epa concerned about the environment. All the accomplishments i mentioned, we could not have done those without dedication for career employees. What i have seen, we turned around the agency in terms of how we deal with permits. That is hard work. We have a tool that we use to solve a problem, it is effective and what i have seen in the retirements, people who didnt want to change, they didnt want to embrace environmentalists in the twentieth century, they are stuck in processes in the past which you see that in the criticisms, the superfund criticism, the people who left the agency are stuck in the mindset of measuring activities and not focusing on results. We have some dedicated career employees at the agency focusing on the results and their jobs. Maybe we should talk about another crisis, a crisis in flint, michigan, a few years ago, to follow this up, what lessons will be learned to the crisis in terms of protecting the environment and responding when accidents happen . Sure. They have not been updated in 20 years. It is finalized in the next few weeks. It also has a few important measures, epa was at the time, they need it to. In our pipes last year, force them to deliver bottled water to their residents to figure out the source of the problem, they were hesitant to do that, we stepped in, we will not let that happen again. We must take this seriously. We are working with systems across the country to make sure it never happens again. Working with Water Systems one thing the epa deals with as much if not more than other agencies is a complex mix of authority in the federal government, local districts and so on. How should we think of the federalism of this process. What is the proper role for the epa, states and localities. We do our best work when working in cooperation with state and local governments. The epa, we reorganized our regional offices to mirror headquarters in the states are doing the same. At all levels of government when epa was created we were very sideload in our approach, the chemical office, not doing a good job of working across the aisle. The action plan we released, from all the offices, a way of doing that on a daily basis not just a large incidence, we have to be more nimble. The general permits, we decreased the permit backlog 50 . 97 of water permits, and they have the air program delegated to them, the air permits. When we do a review on the state delegator programs weve only looked at their enforcement data. Starting next year we will start looking at their permitting data to see how they are processing the permits. If stepping into the role of the federal government, the thin water and clean air side we need to make sure they are doing it in a thoughtful manner and what they accomplished in the past. Before a state can start implementing the law they need to receive federal approval for state Implementation Plan. This has been a 40 problem for years as a constant tension between federal government setting standards but leaving the state with real authority, the best of both worlds. Federal standards for flexibility and in recent years the balance has gone too often with the epa to micromanage, with the backlog. What has been the most difficult part of turning that around in the last few years and not just a sip approval process more efficient and where states have flexibility. If you dont approve a state that, the federal Implementation Plan and the Obama Biden Administration issued 10 times the number of sips as the four Previous Administrations combined. Since march of 2017 on average we have taken one and turn it back into a sip. The federal government, we must do this which is the right approach. With the state and cooperative manner. And and and they develop them before they go to him. They are getting they will reach attainment for the next standards. It is shown by the number of designations we have done. It proves the air has gotten better. The way the epa has been monitoring air pollution 7 cleaner than it was at the beginning of the administration. Since epa was founded 50 years ago air pollution has been reduced 77 . Lets situate the epa in our constitutional structure in the executive branch. Agencies like the epa have long operated under executive orders, this administration began, the number of executive orders on the substance of regulation not just the epa, Financial Regulation, Financial Regulation and so on but the epa was among the number of agencies, the number of executive orders and energy independence, the waters of the United States where donald trump signed orders directing agencies start the process and focus on the priorities of the administration, americas clean energy is and so on. How has that worked out in terms of the process of beginning with the white house when going to the agencies. For this administration it was vital, in large part because we did not have the leadership at epa for the first year. My predecessor scott fruit was confirmed in march of 2017, next Senate Confirmed person was not confirmed until november. That has never happened before. Senator schumer and Senate Democrats held up senate nominees, executive orders all along to direct the staff. The work on the issues and start working on that. The Senate Democrats held up our nominees. Lets focus on this, what happens when an agency lasts the toptier of Senate Confirmed initials. We dont see a lot of movement in those offices, dont have the Senate Confirmed person. We dont get our Senate Confirmed ahead of Enforcement Office until december of 2017. I would like to refer to 2017 as we dont have the leadership of that office. They confirmed that december, in 2018, our enforcement numbers went up, started hiring more criminal enforcement agents. We accomplished a lot. More than the Obama Biden Administration on criminal enforcement dollars, i was not counting the Vw Settlement which was the first year the administration or the work in the Obama Administration or the dialer settlement, once the dimer settlement is finalized we will have collected twice as much enforcement as the Obama Biden Administration did in the first four years. The clean energy will and waters rule, the climate rule in the dc circuit will be argued in october. That is in the dc circuit out west, in a nutshell how would you describe what has been achieved and why should the court sustain them . We replace the clean flower clean power im criticized for that. People need to remember the Supreme Court issued a stay on the clean power plants, never took affect. Theyve never done that for and Financial Regulation. I look at that as the Supreme Court saying the Obama Administration went outside the bounds. What we did, the cleaner act formulated the ace will wish follows the law and would be upheld by the dc circuit and the Supreme Court if it goes to the Supreme Court. As soon as the Obama Administration issued its rule, it was stayed in every state and over half the states, it didnt take affect either. The lawsuits, replacement for that rule failed in the courts. Our rule is the law of the land. What we have done is something i like to joke is unique, we took a hard look at the clean water act, hard look at the Supreme Court case and we wrote the rule to follow the law, the thin water act and severe court cases. Our replacement for that rule is upheld by the Supreme Court. A couple more minutes of questions. I want to remind the audience, they can do it on twitter, hashtag a ei clean air and water or email. Alan. Epa. Org. The clean power plant. I think it is very easy to draw a line to that moment from an earlier moment at the epa, not one of their greatest moments, when the epa lost to the Supreme Court in michigan versus epa, the epa lost, the court ruled it had gone past the limits of the statute, if i remember correctly the epa said we lost the case, the epa complied with the, that was a blow to the credibility of the epas time in the court might have been more skeptical but it reminds us of a delicate balance it the epa when it issues rule and promulgate standards you want to begin compliance. We have whole process for judicial review and so on. What is the right way to do this, to make rules and start assuring the industry toward compliance but recognizing the plot process that follows . Absolutely correct. That Supreme Court decision i said at the time in the private sector i wrote a piece on it that i thought Justice Scalia was writing for the case they were going to get on the clean power plant. The conference he made, was wrong of the epa. At the time the epa administrator who said the industry complied so the courts decision doesnt matter, that period of the Supreme Court and why they stayed the clean power plant. I heard this on the outside, went outside the fence line with the agency never done under the clean air act, they knew it was when they get overturned they hope the agency will comply with it. It is out of bounds, we should be following the law. We have to enact them. It is an appropriate for any Regulatory Agency the conversation on this on a related theme. The industry the epa regulates are the most capitalintensive industries. Or other resources, and and regulatory uncertainty. The reforms we are doing discussed today include science transparency regulation, house benefit regulation. On a searchable database, this should provide more transparency and openness and private citizens around the country. By having that transparency i started my career in the early 90s working on the community right to know act. I believe the public has a right to know what the basis is for regulations which is why we are moving forward on all those reforms. We tell the public what we are using and the data behind those, regulations will be better accepted. We will provide certainty to the community through our process if we were more up front with how we make decisions. We will talk about the scientific transparency rule. Before you proposed anything. When i speak out in favor i make the concession that is inevitable, the mere fact of creating a rule that has standards for what scientific studies can and cant be used putting limits on studies that might well be valid science that arent publicly available there is a cost of that, the benefit is transparency, the benefit is public accountability but it is going to have an impact on the way science is produced and used in government. How can we ensure transparent science is the best science. You need a supplemental proposal the administrator is important needs to be used for regulation for the Transparency Part of the scientific study. The majority of people who opposed to this. And this is what the standard is. The regulations and standards. We have audience questions. The widely discussed Green New Deal. Theres been a lot of public debate and discussion around proposals, firing on the epa or federal government in general to achieve goals of 0 Greenhouse Gas emissions. How should we think about calls for that kind of reform and how do they stack up against what the epa accomplished in the last few years . The devil is in the details. A couple different versions of the Green New Deal out there if you want to make sense but several versions of the Green New Deal out there. One thing they called for is the end of the internal Combustion Engine by 2035. That is not feasible. As far as the 0 emissions, we dont have Battery Storage technology to get to that point. A lot of people dont realize there are negative impacts to every Single Energy source. The only impact would be geothermal that is widely used or might be negative impacts, there are negative environmental impacts to wind or solar. We never focus on that, dont focus on Rare Earth Minerals the going to reproducing renewable energy, we dont focus on the disposal of the solar panels after the end of their life expectancy, disposal of the wind turbines. We dont focus on the impact on birds and bats from wind turbines. Not saying we shouldnt use wind and solar, just that every Single Energy source has a negative consequence and the renewable side we dont talk about that. We should be opening up the positives and negatives of all our Energy Sources. You mentioned battery technology. It is true batteries are not perfect but they are getting better. We need to get them even better. Solar panels, the cost coming down. All these technologies improving technology, what is the right role for the epa to advance the future without dictating the future. They help the epa with regulating automobiles, driving the future. What role does government have in helping move towards the future. We have to have standards that dont pick winners and losers in the energy sector. It is important for the federal government or the department of energy, to make batteries more efficient orphaned research on solar panels were the use of clean Coal Technologies like sequestration. That the appropriate role in the marketplace, i dont believe regulations should pick winners and losers. One big problem with the obama standards, you get the emissions reductions, that is not going to happen. They are cashing in credits unrelated to vehicle miles paying large fines. 1 billion by 2025 to all the consumers. Our next audience question is from a writer for the guardian that says the Fourth National climate, that Climate Change is doubled the area burned by wildfire since the 1980s. Given the huge fires you consider wildfire smoke a growing health threat. Several things in that question, final question, career scientist developed in apps you can download that would give updates whether or not it is safe to go outside. The forest fires are creating a health issue in particulate matter. The loss of life from the fires, we are concerned about loss of life and emergency responders, it impacts the water in colorado a few years back, they have water impacts for years after words but there are a lot of environmental impacts, i believe the forest fires in the west are caused by poor Forest Management and not Climate Change. On that point, such a difficult problem to untangle. The climate aspect of this, there is the privatesector that is responsible for maintaining Energy Infrastructure within the state, where should they be responsible in keeping the area clear. How does the federal government begin to grapple with an issue like that, with private and say state actors. That is a huge problem. Legislation was blocked by a number of environmentalists allowing utilities to go in and clean out the debris near their lines. They are available due to that on all the property. They dont have that authority because liability needs to do that. It is something we didnt need to focus on. Another question, somebody asks what is the status of the new water of the United States rule and how has it involved in recent years . I teach an administrative classes so many cases, clean water act cases. What is navigable water . What is the water of the United States . Why is that a difficult problem for the epa and the army corps of engineers to settle through the rule making process in a way that survives judicial review and why will this time be different . This time will be different because we did follow the law and the Supreme Court cases. Go back to the clean water act of the 1970s, navigable Water Congress was focusing on ships and boats on waterways and it has been expanded through Supreme Court cases through adjacent wetlands. Our definition follows the Supreme Court cases so it will be upheld. It past the first test. We are in the middle of training and writing the guidance, how can the army corps do that for the army corps inspectors around the country. It is important every army corps inspector follows the law the same way, i saw this in private practice. Interpreted on a casebycase basis. We wrote the new waters, and so much was channeled into getting the epa, for expanding that over the year. That is wellintentioned and responsive for scientific understandings, how water bodies are connected. Congress could have updated that. The epa and other agencies to justify, the more energy you hope would be channeled in the legislative process. I will at you make the editorial comment. With the Supreme Court decisions, what is written in the clean water act. Chris barnhart at the American Conservation Coalition he writes how can we make sure we have a steady supply of Critical Minerals in the United States without being reliant on countries like china, what is your view of domestic drilling, domestic mining . This goes to a problem you identified that the more we rely on new technologies the more we are reliant on china for a few Foreign Countries must we find technologies and the mystic set of resources. The pad you are holding usings Rare Earth Minerals in it. I spoke at cambridge university. A woman who had a hostile question for me, she read it on her iphone and i pointed out, i responded to her question, if shes concerned about the environment she might get rid of her iphone. We need them and should be mining them in the United States because we mine in a more environmentally protective manner than anywhere else in the world. You look at other countries mining these Rare Earth Minerals, the environmental guideline standards rules in place in the United States so there is a nimby attitude as far as extracting and mining in the us and that is i think one of the worst environmental decisions people can make. Because we do in a much cleaner fashion following the rules and standards. To add to his question the more i rely on the tablet and less on the piece of paper the more energy i am using and they say software eats the world more rely on the electronics so that increases what role is epa playing in helping to ensure that our Energy Infrastructure is modern and efficient . Again disposed outside of our jurisdiction but we do have a responsibility to make sure the regulations dont pick winners and losers on Energy Sources and we need to make sure they are updated. The New York Times ran a hit piece on Administration Site with over 100 rollbacks of environmental regulations. But what he didnt report, thy all report half of the equation. They did not report almost in every case we replace those regulations with more updated regulations based on science today. When we replacing regulations that are ten, 20, 30, 40 years old, science has changed a lot and we do need to go back and update our regulations and thats one of the things weve been focusing on. Well have a moment left. Needless to say theres a president ial election coming up. Was your time as leader of the epa in january sometime long after that, what do you want your legacy to be in leading the epa . When i took over i said i want to leave the agency stronger than without it and i believe it is stronger today than when i found it. I believe, i serve at the well of the present. He asked me to plan for the second term adelaide that out in my next in speech and i intend to be here for the next few years to implement that. The agency, on every indicator with improved. On structural changes at the agency to make us more nimble and more efficient with improved. And on fulfilling president trumps gold when he asked me to continue to clean up the air, continue to clean the water and deregulate to create more jobs weve done that as well. We have proven we can do both at the same time. Thank you, administrator wheeler affects her joining us. I do what you think the audience, are sparse pockets year and both seattle for joining us today. Please take today to for future events online. President trump criticized the concept of unsolicited mail in ballots warning about a mass fraud in election rigging in the widest cabinet room during discussion on social media platforms. The president as whether mailmen might be involved in the skin. Heres what he said about that and you can watch all of president trumps remarks at cspan. Org. The whole thing with your balloting and whats going on with balloting will prove to be one of the great catastrophes in the history of our country even beyond elections. And the democrats know it. They know its going on. They know how its going on, was getting it, send it, wheres it going, where is a coming back, where is it coming from. Our mailmen involved . Was delivering it . Its a very, very at the know its going to be and all you have to do is look at engaged in West Virginia but many cases i would say every single case in the last number of years where they have done this. This is a tiny scale compared to millions and billions of ballots that are being sent. This could put one of the great catastrophes and one of the great embarrassments in the history of our country. Beyond elections. And the democrats know it and theyre setting it up for chaos and thats what they have done. These Media Companies if you criticize it a flag you, they take you down, they do all sorts of things, and they know it, too. They know it, too. But you have done a great job when you did that in West Virginia. Happen to be the same day we were criticized for just mentioning, you better be careful with unsolicited ballots. Thats a better name, josh. Because they said universal unil ballots and 50 different names. People said how does that have to do with being universal . Unsolicited . 80 million unsolicited ballots being sent all over the place. People are going to get there. What the hell is this . What is it . They will be harvesting them like crazy. I mean, some of the states they have no signature necessary, no verification necessary. Nevada, you dont have to verify the signature. Theres no verification. It is a disgrace that this can happen. Just remember, i told you so. I told you so. Were going to win anyway, i hope. But ill tell you its very tough when you have democrat i mean, its democrat governors. Its states controlled by democrat governors, and they are sending them out by the millions. And josh, its going to be a mess and they all know it. And the people that put the most of the democrats. They fully know. And then they talk about, youre suppressing our right to vote. Theyre using covid as a way of scamming the system. And when you talk about Foreign Countries, Foreign Countries are nothing compared that whats taking place. And if Foreign Countries want to come this is an easy system to break into because they will do counterfeit ballots. Theyll do counterfeit ballots by the millions. So when you talk about china, russia, north korea, iran, all the countries you talk about, thats peanuts, thats all peanuts compared to this. But this is her opening because they can use nice, cheap ballots, and they can send them out, counterfeit them, and jut send them in. This is a disaster, and they should stop it before its too late. Now, we are before numerous federal judges, from what i hear, great federal judges, and they have the power to stop. I hope that i watch because somebody has got to make the plea. This is going to be a disaster. Im not even saying that for me. It could work both ways. I dont think it will work both ways but it could work both ways. Could be against republicans or democrats, but but i hope somey is watching because this this a disaster waiting to happen. Who will control congress in january . Stay informed on all the competitive congressional races leading up to election day with cspans campaign 2020 coverage watch the candidates debate and Election Results on cspan. Watch online at cspan. Org or listen on the free cspan radio app. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. Heres a look at our live coverage thursday. During the North CarolinaSenate Debate republican senator thom tillis and democratic challenger Cal Cunningham talk about filling the Supreme Court vacancy and