Hill Heat

The nominations of Bijan Rafiekian, of California, and Diane G. Farrell, of Connecticut, both to be Members of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and William Herbert Heyman, of New York, William S. Jasien, of Virginia, and Mark S. Shelton, of Kansas, all to be Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation

Subcommittee hearing on FEMA’s Project Worksheets.

Transcript

Witnesses:

• C. Ray Nagin, Mayor, City of New Orleans, Louisiana
• Kevin Davis, President, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
• Henry ‘‘Junior’’ Rodriguez, President, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
• Colonel Perry ‘‘Jeff’’ Smith, Jr., Executive Director, Governor’s Office of
• Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, State of Louisiana
• Bryan McDonald, Executive Director, Office of Recovery and Renewal, State of Mississippi
• Mark C. Merritt, Senior Vice President of Response and Recovery, James Witt Associates
• James Walke, Director, Public Assistance Division, Disaster Assistance Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

On Monday, July 9th at 2:30 p.m. in SD-342, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold the second day of hearings on Excessive Speculation In The Natural Gas Market. (The first hearing was held Monday, June 25th, at which the Subcommittee released a Staff Report on the Subcommittee investigation and received testimony from natural gas users, academics, and a former natural gas trader at Amaranth. A witness list for the June 25th hearing is available at the June 25th hearing website.) The Subcommittee July 9th hearing will continue to examine the reasons for the extreme price levels and volatility in the natural gas futures markets in 2006 and how excessive speculation by a single hedge fund, Amaranth LLC, dominated the natural gas market and distorted natural gas futures prices. The hearing also will examine the extent to which excessive speculative trading on unregulated energy exchanges contributed to the price distortions, and the need for statutory and regulatory changes to prevent manipulation and excessive speculation from detrimentally affecting energy prices.

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power, led by Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), will hold an oversight field hearing on “Extinction is Not a Sustainable Water Policy: The Bay-Delta Crisis and the Implications for California Water Management.” Witnesses: TBA

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, led by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), will hold an oversight hearing on “Management by Exclusion: The Forest Service Use of Categorical Exclusions from NEPA.”

Witnesses:

Panel I

• Mark Rey , Undersecretary, Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Agriculture
• Robin Nazzaro, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office
• Harrison Pollak, Deputy Attorney General, State of California

Panel II

• Thomas C. Jensen, Sonneschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Washington, D.C.
• Mark Menlove, Executive Director, Winter Wildlands Alliance
• Dr. Barry Noon, Professor, Colorado State University
• Nathaniel Lawrence, Senior Attorney, Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
• Ray Vaughan, Executive Director, Wildlaw
• John Stavros New Harmony, UT

:: Witness Statements :: Dr. Michael H. Freilich Dr. Richard A. Anthes Dr. Eric J. Barron Dr. Timothy W. Foresman

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), will hold an oversight hearing on “The Minerals Management Service’s Proposed 2007–2012 Program for Oil and Gas Leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf.” Witnesses: TBA The hearing will be webcast live on the Committee’s web site at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov.

The Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee marked up the draft measures June 20. Agenda 1. Committee Print to promote energy efficiency 2. Committee Print to facilitate the transition to a smart grid 3. Committee Print regarding Department of Energy EPAct Loan Guarantees 4. Committee Print to promote renewable-fuel infrastructure 5. Committee Print to promote advanced battery and plug-in hybrid technologies 6. Committee Print to enhance Energy Information Administration (EIA) data collection.