[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 148 (Wednesday, November 9, 2005)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D1177-D1178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
AGRICULTURAL TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
hearings to examine the impact of higher energy prices and the 
disruption of the transportation system due to the recent hurricanes on 
United States agriculture, focusing on the winter energy outlook and 
energy's role in the agricultural sector, and the status of the 
Mississippi River Transportation System, after receiving testimony from 
Keith Collins, Chief Economist, Department of Agriculture; Gerald W. 
Barnes, Chief, Operations, Directorate of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers; Howard Gruenspecht, Deputy Administrator, Energy 
Information Administration, Department of Energy; Daniel T. Kelley, 
Normal, Illinois, on behalf of the National Council of Farmer 
Cooperatives and the Agriculture Energy Alliance; Richard Calhoun, 
Cargill Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on behalf of the National 
Grain and Feed Association and the North American Export Grain 
Association; R. Neal Elliott, American Council for an Energy-Efficient 
Economy, Washington, D.C.; and Ryan Niebur, Rocky Mountain Farmers 
Union, Burlington, Colorado, on behalf of the National Farmers Union.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACCOUNTABILITY
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management 
Support concluded hearings to examine the Department of Defense 
business transformation and financial management accountability, after 
receiving testimony from Kenneth J. Krieg, Under Secretary of Defense 
for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; Tina W. Jonas, Under 
Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); and Randolph C. Hite, Director of 
Industrial Technology, Architecture and System Issues, Government 
Accountability Office.
ENERGY PRICING AND PROFITS
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation/Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources: Committees concluded joint hearings to examine 
energy pricing and profits, focusing on record prices of oil, gasoline, 
and natural gas and factors affecting those prices, issues relating to 
global demand, resource development strategies and windfall profits 
taxes, and the effectiveness of Federal and State consumer protection 
laws to prevent occurrences of price gouging during supply disruptions, 
after receiving testimony from Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, Federal 
Trade Commission; New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, Trenton; 
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, Columbia; Arizona 
Attorney General Terry Goddard, Phoeniz; Lee R. Raymond, Exxon Mobil 
Corporation, Irving, Texas; David O'Reilly, Chevron Corporation, San 
Ramon, California; James J. Mulva, ConocoPhillips, and John Hofmeister, 
Shell Oil Company, both of Houston, Texas; and Ross J. Pillari, BP 
America, Warrenville, Illinois.
COASTAL LOUISIANA HURRICANE PROTECTION PROJECT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine issues regarding a comprehensive and integrated 
approach to meet the water resources needs of coastal Louisiana in the 
wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including storm and flood damage 
reduction, ecosystem restoration and navigation, after receiving 
testimony from George S. Dunlop, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary 
of the Army for Civil Works; Major General Don T. Riley, Director of 
Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Anu Mittal, Director, 
Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office; 
Windell A. Curole, South Lafourche Levee District, Galliano, Louisiana; 
and Peter H. Brink, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Steve 
Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense,

[[Page D1178]]

and Scott Faber, on behalf of the Environmental Defense and the 
National Wildlife Federation, all of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Finance: Committee met and approved recommendations 
relative to proposed legislation implementing the United States Bahrain 
Free Trade Agreement.
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine 
the need for a response strategy to address the threat of avian 
influenza, focusing on measures to stop the spread of the virus in Asia 
and preventing a global pandemic, after receiving testimony from Andrew 
S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development; 
Paula J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global 
Affairs; Julie L. Gerberding, Director, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, and Anthony S. Fauci, Director, National Institute of 
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, both of 
the Department of Health and Human Services; Laurie Garrett, Council on 
Foreign Relations, New York, New York; and James Newcomb, Bio Economic 
Research Associates, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded hearings to examine 
the nominations of Ronald L. Schlicher, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador 
to the Republic of Cyprus, Ross Wilson, of Maryland, to be Ambassador 
to the Republic of Turkey, Carol van Voorst, of Virginia, to be 
Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland, and Marilyn Ware, of 
Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to Finland, who was introduced by 
Senator Specter, after the nominees testified and answered questions in 
their own behalf.
COAST GUARD RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the Coast Guard's response to Hurricane 
Katrina, focusing on the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), 
preparations for catastrophic events, and communicating through 
satellite telephones, text messaging, and commercial e-mail accounts 
during disasters, after receiving testimony from Rear Admiral Robert F. 
Duncan, Commander, Eighth Coast Guard District, Captain Frank M. 
Paskewich, Commander, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, and Captain Bruce 
C. Jones, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, all 
of the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security.
FEDERAL SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the 
District of Columbia concluded hearings to examine the Federal security 
clearance process, focusing on Office of Personnel Management's plan to 
address the backlog of security clearance investigations, after 
receiving testimony from Linda M. Springer, Director, Office of 
Personnel Management; Clay Johnson III, Deputy Director for Management, 
Office of Management and Budget; and Derek B. Stewart, Director of 
Military and Civilian Personnel Issues, Government Accountability 
Office.
CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded hearings to examine the 
use of cameras in the courtroom, focusing on a pilot program providing 
for electronic media coverage of civil proceedings in certain Federal 
trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and 
related measures S. 829 and S. 1768, after receiving testimony from 
Senators Grassley and Schumer; Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, United 
States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Portland, Oregon; Judge 
Jan E. DuBois, United States District Court for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Barbara E. Bergman, National Association of 
Criminal Defense Lawyers, Seth D. Berlin, Levine Sullivan Koch & 
Schulz, Brian P. Lamb, C-SPAN Networks, and Barbara Cochran, Radio-
Television News Directors Association, all of Washington, D.C.; Peter 
Irons, University of California at San Diego; and Henry S. Schleiff, 
Court TV Networks, New York, New York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil 
Rights, and Property Rights approved for full committee consideration 
S.J. Res. 1, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States relating to marriage.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
consider pending intelligence matters.