I welcome our five nominees and I also welcome Dr. Meserve's wife, Marty [and Senator Byrd who will introduce Dr. Hill].
The purpose of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is to investigate chemical accidents and report the facts, circumstances, and the cause or probable cause of any accidental release resulting in a fatality, serious injury or substantial property damages.
The President has nominated Dr. Paul L. Hill, Jr. for reappointment as Chairperson and Member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Dr. Hill has been serving as Chair and Member of the Board since 1994 and has over 20 years of professional experience in chemical safety, regulation, and public policy development.
Prior to his current position, Dr. Hill was President and CEO of the National Institute for Chemical Studies. Dr. Hill has also served the West Virginia State Government in several capacities: as Science Advisor to the West Virginia Water Resources Board, and as Deputy Administrator of the Department of Natural Resources.
Dr. Hill holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees from Marshall University and a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent regulatory commission responsible for ensuring adequate protection of the environment, public health and safety, and common defense and security, with respect to the use of nuclear materials for civilian purposes in the U.S.
Dr. Richard A. Meserve has been nominated by the President to be a Member of the NRC. If he is confirmed, I understand that the President intends to designate Dr. Meserve as the new NRC Chairman. Dr. Meserve is currently a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling and is chairman of a National Academy of Sciences committee that is seeking to upgrade the protection of nuclear weapon material in Russia.
Dr. Meserve was formerly a Law Clerk to Justice Harry A. Blackmun, United States Supreme Court. Dr. Meserve received a B.A. degree from Tufts University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University.
Since the flood of 1928, the primary function of the seven-member Mississippi River Commission has been to implement, construct, and operate the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project. The project involves the development and execution of a flood protection program comprised of river dredging, levee construction, and water distribution along the Mississippi River.
The President has nominated Major General Phillip R. Anderson to be President and Member of the Mississippi River Commission. Major General Anderson is currently serving as the Commanding General of the United States Army Engineer Division, Mississippi Valley, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He previously served as the Director of Military Programs, United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Deputy Commanding General and Assistant Commandant of the United States Army Engineer Center. He has also served as the Commanding General of the United States Support Group in Haiti as well as the Deputy Commanding General for the United States forces in Haiti from June to November 1995.
Major General Anderson received his B.S. from Virginia Military Institute, his M.S. from the University of Illinois in Civil Engineering, and his M.A. in International Relations from Salve Regina College.
The second presidential nomination to the Mississippi River Commission is that of Mr. Sam Epstein Angel to serve as Member. Mr. Epstein was first appointed to the Commission in 1979 and reappointed in 1988. Mr. Angel is a Chicot County, Arkansas planter and ginner. He has served as President of the Epstein Land Company and Epstein Gin Company in Lake Village, Arkansas since 1980, as well as Chicot Warehouse, Inc. in Eudora, Arkansas. From 1970 to the present, he has been the Commissioner of the Chicot County Watershed District and is a former Commissioner of Chicot County Rural Development Authority and the Southeast Arkansas Levee District.
Brigadier General Robert H. Griffin is the third nominee to the Mississippi River Commission. Brigadier General Griffin has served as the Commanding General for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division since 1996. Prior to that time, he was the Commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, in Mobile, Alabama and commanded the 864th Engineer Battalion, which included service in Operation Desert Storm.
Brigadier General Griffin received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Auburn University and M.B.A. from Long Island University, C.W. Post.
Now we will hear the statements of Senator Baucus and other Committee members, then [Senator Byrd will introduce Dr. Hill] and we will hear testimony from our nominees.