President Obama lauded the hard work and dedication of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees on Tuesday, assuring them that he will stand by their side amid a burgeoning sentiment from congressional Republicans that the EPA's environmental regulations will devastate the economy and kill American jobs.

He also told EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and the roughly 800 EPA employees who gathered at the headquarters in Washington that new government regulations on power plant emissions will save "thousands" of lives and inhibit "cases of childhood asthma."
 
"Just a few weeks ago, thanks to the hard work of so many of you, Lisa and I were able to announce new common-sense standards to better protect the air we breathe from mercury and other harmful air pollution," Obama professed, referring to new federal rules adopted in December to regulate mercury and other emissions from coal power plants. "And because we acted, we’re going to prevent thousands of premature deaths, thousands of heart attacks and cases of childhood asthma."
 
In his succinct monologue, the President added that EPA regulations can help generate jobs and promote economic growth, such as through jobs wherein people work to restore contaminated areas and through fuel-efficient vehicles that will ease the burden of high gas prices so that consumers can "go spend on something else."

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