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EPA Announces Steps to Combat Pollution in Historically Impacted Areas; South Dakota Governor Announces Abortion Ban Bill Similar to Law in Texas; Police Say, Woman Arrested After Trying to Buy Child at Texas Walmart. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 26, 2022 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:35:00]

SCIUTTO: Some communities in the south have been plagued by air and water pollution for years may now see some action from the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency has announced a pilot program, several of them today, that come following EPA Administrator Michael Regan's Journey to Justice tour last fall, which included stops in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. During that tour, he visited communities grappling with longstanding environmental issues, crumbling water infrastructure.

Michael Reagan joins me now, EPA Administrator. Thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

MICHAEL REGAN, ADMINISTRATOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, as you know, you spoke to CNN during your recent tour of the south, and I wonder, what did you see during that trip as you were out there that led to this initiative, and in particular, are minority communities disproportionately affected by this kind of pollution?

REGAN: You know, thank you for that question. I saw firsthand the anguish on the faces of mothers and fathers and grandparents who for decades have been asking the government for help in terms of protecting them from pollution. I saw elementary schools in close proximity to big industrial facilities that children were going to school to learn and looking out the window and seeing pollution spewing out their windows. And I visited elementary school in Jackson, Mississippi where the water pressure was so low that school was canceled. I saw a lot of problems, and the Environmental Protection Agency under this administration will not stand by and continue to have this happen.

SCIUTTO: Okay, so what are you doing and how long will it take?

REGAN: You know, we've launched a series of efforts and reactions in direct response to what the community members have asked us for. We've issued notices of violations to water facilities that are not providing good quality drinking water, expecting them to respond to those notices and make those repairs as soon as possible. We've required that the Denka facility in Louisiana, which produces chloroprene, a carcinogenic pollution that we know is detrimental to public health, we're requiring them to do fence line monitoring. We've issued notices of violation to companies like Sasol and Nucor that emissions are too high and not protective of the communities. We've also given more money, more resources to states like Louisiana so that they can amplify the air quality monitoring that they're doing within their state.

And lastly I'll say we're launching a pollution team -- pollution prevention team that we will deploy aircraft, we will deploy mobile vehicles in these communities at a moment's notice so that we can be sure we can get real-time emissions data so that we can hold these facilities accountable if they are violating these policies.

SCIUTTO: Okay. Bigger picture, as you know, early in his presidency, President Biden pledged to cut carbon emissions nationally in half by the year 2030. Since then, we've seen the climate provisions contained in BBB, of course, like the whole package, delayed, on life support, perhaps. Can the president, can the administration, can the country still credibly meet that goal nationally?

REGAN: Jim, we're still in the hunt. Congress has more business to conduct, and we're hoping that Congress can conduct that business. But I've said this entire time, we have statutory authority to continue to pursue the production of greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, we put forth the most aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction program focused on HSCs and 85 percent reduction over the next 15 years. We issued the most aggressive emission standard for cars and light-duty trucks, more aggressive than the Obama administration that will help keep us on track.

We've also -- we've proposed the most aggressive oil and gas rule which will get methane reductions at levels greater than this country has ever seen. So, we're taking action. We want Congress to take action, but we're not sitting by idle.

SCIUTTO: Okay. But as you know, those executive actions swing back and forth between administrations. Obama put them in, Trump took them out. Biden put them back in. Who knows who is in the White House in 2024? And a big part of the emission strategy is based on those climate provisions in the Build Back Better plan. The president has said he can pass big chunks of them. Does the administration have the votes to pass that chunk, the environmental, the climate chunk?

[10:40:05]

REGAN: What I can say is we have, whether it's the HSCs that we're controlling or it's the car standards or it's the methane standards, we've been working. And you've seen organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institution, those who are regulated by these HSCs stand with us and say, it's time for these regulations.

The business community needs the certainty. The technologies are there. It's good business, it's good for these communities and it's good for the planet. And so I believe Congress will, as part of the Build Back Better agenda, be able to push the climate provisions that we're looking at.

Build Back Better is a big piece of legislation. There is a lot of consternation there. There is a lot of conversations that are occurring. But we're seeing more agreement and more alignment on the climate provisions because we know it's good for national security, it's good for the business and job growth, but it's also good for protecting people on the planet. And so I have a lot of confidence in the president's leadership that he can push Congress on the climate provisions.

SCIUTTO: Okay. We'll see if he gets the votes. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, we appreciate you joining the program this morning.

REGAN: Well, thank you for having me.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN NEWSROOM: Coming up, South Dakota's governor is now pushing to get an abortion bill passed in her state that is very reminiscent of the Texas abortion ban. Up next, I'll speak to the president of Planned Parenthood in that region about how they're fighting back.

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[10:45:00]

GOLODRYGA: South Dakota's Governor Kristi Noem is taking more steps to roll back abortion rights in her state. She recently proposed a six-week ban that follows a blueprint of the law passed in Texas, which effectively bans abortion in that state. The law would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a pregnant person try to get an abortion with fines of up to $10,000. Governor Noem has also proposed strict restrictions on abortions through telemedicine.

Joining me now to discuss is Sarah Stoesz, the president of Planned Parenthood North Central States. She oversees the one and only abortion clinic in South Dakota and is suing over both proposals along with the ACLU. Sarah, welcome to the program.

Before we begin, is it now the case that there are no doctors currently performing abortions within the state, that, in fact, doctors have to be flown in out of state?

SARAH STOESZ, PRESIDENT, PLANNED PARENTHOOD NORTH CENTRAL STATES: Yes. In fact, that has been the case for well over 20 years. Planned Parenthood has operated the sole clinic where people can access abortion in South Dakota, and we have had to fly doctors back and forth primarily from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, but also sometimes from other parts of the country. It's been very, very difficult.

And, in fact, because South Dakota also requires a 72-hour waiting period, we are forced to fly the same doctor twice, once on Monday to administer so-called informed consent, and then they have to come back, the same doctor, on Thursday to perform the procedure. And the patient, the women, have to come into the clinic twice, once on Monday and once on Thursday. It's a very, very difficult situation, and we've been operating that way for many years.

GOLODRYGA: So, you say 20 years, a difficult situation for women who are in need of an abortion to have access to one. This law, as you describe, would make it even more difficult. What are you hearing about concerns from some women in the state?

STOESZ: Well, of course, this proposed law is a copycat of the Texas law that has been allowed by the Supreme Court to remain in effect since September 1. And what we know in Texas is that large numbers of women have not been able to have abortions or have had to travel out of state, which is not easy for a lot of people to do.

And so there is a great deal of concern about this in South Dakota, particularly because, in fact, the disposition of the Texas law is very much up in the air. It's on the books, effectively, in Texas. And so assuming that the law is passed in South Dakota, which we have every reason to believe that it will, given the conservative politics of our governor, abortion will become virtually impossible to have in South Dakota.

GOLODRYGA: Well, you mentioned the Texas law, and we should note, as you do, that the Supreme Court has refused to block it multiple times now. Legal experts have been warning of this very scenario, that other states and other governors would try to mirror what they saw take place in Texas. So, given that, how much faith do you have that pursuing the legal avenue here will give you different results from what we've seen in Texas?

STOESZ: Well, of course, we have an obligation to pursue the legal avenue, and we will, and we will continue to fight for our patients every step of the way. But let's not kid ourselves. The Supreme Court is now a very, very conservative body and a very political body.

[10:50:03]

And so what we are looking at in South Dakota and, in fact, in other parts of the country too for that matter is the virtual overturning of Roe, if this law is allowed to stand, and women no longer having command of their bodies or having to leave the state in order to regain command of their bodies. It's really quite ironic. Go ahead.

GOLODRYGA: I just -- in the limited time we have left, I want to play sound for you from Governor Noem, who is saying that states, not only her own, but around the country, should offer better alternatives for women, mentoring programs, adoption, et cetera. Let's play a clip from that and I would love to get your response.

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GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R-SD): We do have amazing senators and people that wrap their arms around these mothers and these families and let them know that there are options for that child, that there is adoption, that there is ways that they'll come alongside them and mentor them so that they can teach them how to be parents and help them through the struggles that come with raising a child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: What do you make of her remarks?

STOESZ: That it's pure fantasy. That's just not true. In fact, South Dakota has one of the weakest, almost nonexistent social safety nets in the entire country. So, there is very little support for women who have children and very little support for families. And people are just left on their own to deal with whatever circumstances they have.

I applaud anyone who wants to strengthen the social safety net and we'll work very, very hard with them to do that, including Kristi Noem, if she's really serious about it. But so far, she hasn't been serious about it. In fact, South Dakota has not even expanded Medicaid. So, circumstances are very, very tough for women in South Dakota.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Sarah Stoesz, please keep us posted on the developments of your legal pursuits, and we appreciate your time this morning.

STOESZ: Thank you for your interest. We appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: And we should note that we have invited Governor Noem to come on the show at any time to discuss these bills. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Coming up at the top of the next hour, a CNN exclusive, the Justice Department digging deeper into fake Electoral College certifications that declared falsely Donald Trump was the 2020 winner. Where the investigation stands as a member of the committee investigating January 6th now weighs in.

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[10:55:00]

SCIUTTO: All right. So, listen to this next story. In Texas, police now arrested a woman who is accused of trying to buy another woman's child. Police say Rebecca Taylor followed the woman at a Walmart, offering her $500,000 for her baby and demanding then that the mother sell the infant boy to her.

GOLODRYGA: Unbelievable. CNN's Rosa Flores joins us now from Houston. And, Rosa, the more and more details are coming out, the more alarming this story is. How did it unfold?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, the details are crazy. So, this is according to Crockett Police. They say that Rebecca Taylor approached this shopper that was at the self check-out at Walmart in Crockett, which is about 120 miles north of where I am here in Houston, and this woman started commenting about this woman's child, saying that the blond hair and the blue eyes. And then according to police, Taylor offered this woman money for her child.

Now, the mom laughed it off, thinking that it was a joke, but according to police, Taylor offered $250,000. Now, this mom said no money will do and waited for Taylor to leave the Walmart. And then in the parking lot, according to police, Taylor approached this mom again, saying that if $250,000 wasn't enough, well, what about half a million dollars?

Well, this woman locked herself in the car with her children, and according to police, Taylor continued to scream that she wanted this baby, she was willing to pay $500,000. Taylor eventually left the premises. That's when this mom called the police. Officers showed up and they reviewed the surveillance video from that Walmart.

Well, this is a small town. According to police, they were able to recognize Rebecca Taylor, and she was arrested and charged with the sale or purchase of a child, which is a third-degree felony. She has since bonded out. And Bianna and Jim, CNN's attempts to reach her for comment have not been successful.

SCIUTTO: Well, that's an alarming story. Rosa Flores, thanks so much covering.

Briefly, new developments this morning in the U.K., where police have now arrested two men in the investigation into the Texas synagogue standoff. You'll recall earlier this month a 44-year-old man who is British held four people hostage for 11 hours. He was killed after one hostage was released. The other three, thankfully, managed to escape.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Counterterrorism officials in the U.K. are assisting U.S. authorities with this investigation now.

SCIUTTO: Welll, another day with lots of news. Thanks so much for joining us through it all. I'm Jim Sciutto.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts right now.

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