STATEMENT OF SENATOR BOB SMITH
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
HEARING ON THE NOMINATIONS OF MR. JAMES V. AIDALA MR. ARTHUR C. CAMPBELL MS. ELLA WONG-RUSINKO
JUNE 13, 2000

Good morning

The purpose of today's hearing is to consider three nominations. The first nomination is that of James V. Aidala nominated to be Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances.

As the Chairman of the Committee, I am in the process of holding a series of oversight hearings to examine EPA's budget, prioritization of resources, and overall performance.

My colleagues and I have a number of questions for Mr. Aidala today on EPA-related concerns that I hope he will be able to answer for us.

The second nomination is that of Arthur C. Campbell nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary for Economic Development for the Department of Commerce.

The third nomination is that of Ella Wong-Rusinko nominated to be Alternate Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

I am pleased to report that Mr. Aidala, Mr. Campbell and Ms. Wong-Rusinko are well qualified for their positions.

I welcome them today and I also welcome my colleagues, Senator Lieberman and Senator Roberts who are here today to introduce Mr. Aidala;

Senator Frist and Congressman Bennie Thompson will be introducing Mr. Campbell and Senator Warner will be introducing Ms. Wong-Rusinko.

James V. Aidala

The President has nominated James V. Aidala to serve as Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances.

The Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Toxic Substances serves as the principal advisor to the Administrator in matters pertaining to pollution prevention, pesticides, and toxic substances.

Mr. Aidala has been serving as Associate Assistant Administrator for the Office of Toxic Substances since 1993.

He also has worked as a professional staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources and as the Director of Policy Development at the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture.

Before joining the Institute, Mr. Aidala was a Specialist in Environmental Policy for the U.S. Library of Congress.

He received a received his B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from Brown University.

He is accompanied today by his wife, Abby; son, Sam; and sisters, Linda and Angela.

Arthur C. Campbell

The President has nominated Arthur C. Campbell to be Assistant Secretary for Economic Development for the Department of Commerce.

The Assistant Secretary for Economic Development serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce on matters concerning domestic economic development activities, and as the head of the Economic Development Administration.

Currently, Mr. Campbell is the Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Prior to serving the Administration, Mr. Campbell was a County Commissioner in Hamilton County, Tennessee and the Chief Executive Officer of ACC Development, where he established and operated a planning, consulting and development business specializing in community revitalization.

Mr. Campbell received a B.S. from Tuskagee Institute and a Master's of City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

He is accompanied today by his daughter, Nedra.

Ella Wong-Ruskinko

The President has nominated Ella Wong-Rusinko to serve as Alternate Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The Appalachian Regional Commission was established in 1965 to support the economic and social development of the 13 states with counties that fall within the Appalachian region.

The Commission is composed of governors from each of the 13 states and a presidential appointee representing the federal government.

Ms. Wong-Rusinko has been serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs, Program Research and Evaluation in the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce since late 1993.

Previously, Ms. Wong-Rusinko has served as Executive Assistant to Congressman Gene Green, Chief of Staff to Congressman Albert Bustamente, and Legislative Liaison Assistant in the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Justice.

She received her B.A. from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas.

Ms. Wong-Rusinko is accompanied by her husband, Paul; sons, Christopher and David; and her sister-in-law, Shirley and her family.

Now we will hear the statements of Senator Baucus and other Committee members. Then, Senators Lieberman and Roberts will be introducing Mr. Aidala; Senator Frist and Congressman Thompson will be introducing Mr. Campbell; and Senator Warner will introduce Ms. Wong-Rusinko. Then we will hear testimony from our nominees.