On Wednesday, four Republican administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency debated climate change.
New EPA standards released on June 2 were at the forefront of the debate in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety.
Former agency administrator Christine Todd Whitman spoke to the Senate. William Ruckelshaus, William Reilly, and Regan era administrator Lee Thomas joined the debate, according to the Associated Press.
The Republicans took a stand about changes they want. They also explained issues that don’t make sense to discuss regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. They also felt free to debate President Barack Obama’s new power plant rule and the measures that the EPA has taken.
Whitman, expressed frustration when discussing accountability and the EPA's authority regarding greenhouse gas emissions. "The issue has been settled. EPA does have the authority," Whitman said, according to The Huffington Post. "The law says so, and the Supreme Court has said so twice. The matter should be put to rest.”
The senators also brought up a larger argument about climate change. They discussed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and said that any actions they take regarding climate change won’t mean much if countries like India and China don’t look at their policies and procedures.