[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 21, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D944-D945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
WTO AGRICULTURE NEGOTIATIONS
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry:  Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine the status of the World Trade Organization 
negotiations on agriculture, focusing on the Doha Round Development 
Agenda, and the links between agricultural policy and trade policy, 
after receiving testimony from Mike Johanns, Secretary of Agriculture; 
Robert Portman, United States Trade Representative; Audrae Erickson, 
Corn Refiners Association, on behalf of AgTrade, Leondard W. Condon, 
Altria Corporate Services, Inc., on behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers 
Association, and Mark Viso, World Vision United States, all of 
Washington, D.C.; and Allen Helms, National Cotton Council, Clarkedale, 
Arkansas.
ENERGY PRICING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded 
hearings to examine the rise of domestic energy prices, focusing on 
what actions can be taken to profitably lower U.S. oil consumption, 
after receiving testimony from John Seesel, Associate General Counsel 
for Energy, Federal Trade Commission; Jim Wells, Director, Energy, 
Resources, and Science Issues, Government Accountability Office; Guy 
Caruso, Administrator, Energy Information Administration, Department of 
Energy; Robin West, PFC Energy Team, Odd-Even Bustnes, Rocky Mountain 
Institute, Robert Slaughter, National Petrochemical and Refiners 
Association, and Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen, all of Washington, D.C.; 
and Ronald W. Kosh, American Automobile Association-Mid Atlantic, 
Wilmington, Delaware.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Fisheries, 
Wildlife, and Water concluded a hearing to examine the Endangered 
Species Act and the role of States, Tribes and local governments, 
focusing on areas where the law may be strengthened or new programs 
created to encourage species recovery at all levels of government, 
after receiving testimony from Colorado State Representative Cory 
Gardner, Denver; Billy Frank, Jr., Northwest Indian Fisheries 
Commission, Olympia, Washington; Michael A. Pasteris, Forest Preserve 
District of Will County, Joliet, Illinois, on behalf of the National 
Association of Counties; John Baughman, International Association of 
Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, D.C.; Bill Burnham, The 
Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho; Robert P. Davison, Wildlife Management 
Institute, Corvallis, Oregon; and Dwayne Shaw, Downeast Salmon 
Federation/Downeast Rivers Land Trust, Columbia Falls, Maine.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., of Virginia, to be 
an Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Charles 
A. Ford, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Honduras, 
Mark Langdale, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Costa 
Rica, and Brenda LaGrange Johnson, of New York, to be Ambassador to 
Jamaica, who was introduced by Senators McCain and Collins, after the 
nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
TRANSIT SYSTEM SAFETY
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the lessons that have been learned to 
secure United States transit systems relating to the London terrorist 
attacks, focusing on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 
(WMATA) operating the Washington areas subway system, increasing public 
awareness and security, and training the transit workforce and first-
responders, after receiving testimony from Edmund S. Hawley, Assistant 
Secretary

[[Page D945]]

of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration; Polly L. 
Hanson, Chief, Metro Transit Police Department, Washington Metropolitan 
Area Transit Authority; Michael Brown, London Underground, London, 
England; and Rafi Ron, New Age Security Solutions, McLean, Virginia.
REGULATION OF CLASS III GAMING
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee held an oversight hearing to 
examine Indian gaming, focusing on a decision issued by the Washington, 
D.C. District Court relative to the National Indian Gaming Commission's 
Minimum Internal Control Standards regulations as applied to Class III 
gaming, and tribal government efforts to regulate gaming, receiving 
testimony from Philip N. Hogen, Chairman, National Indian Gaming 
Commission; Mark Van Norman, National Indian Gaming Association, 
Washington, D.C.; and Kevin K. Washburn, University of Minnesota Law 
School, Minneapolis.
  Hearing recessed subject to the call.
INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION SHARING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee held a hearing to examine the 
operations of Able Danger, a small highly-classified United States Army 
intelligence unit that searched for al Qaeda terrorists, and the status 
of intelligence information sharing between the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation and the Department of Defense, receiving testimony from 
Representative Curt Weldon; William R. Dugan, Jr., Acting Assistant to 
the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight; Gary M. Bald, 
Executive Assistant Director, National Security Branch, Federal Bureau 
of Investigation, Department of Justice; Mark S. Zaid, Krieger and 
Zaid, PLLC, Washington, D.C.; and Erik Kleinsmith, Lockheed Martin, 
Newington, Virginia, former Major, USA, Chief of Intelligence, Land 
Information Warfare Activity.
  Hearing recessed subject to the call.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.