Committee Hearings – Week of 1-25-14

Here we are in the fourth week of the 114^th Congress and the hearing schedule is starting to pick up. There are only two hearings this week, both on the Senate side, that may be of specific interest to readers of this blog; one on cybersecurity and one on rail transportation safety.

Cybersecurity

On Wednesday the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be holding a hearing on Protecting America from Cyber Attacks: The Importance of Information Sharing. The witness list makes it clear that the focus of this hearing will be on the IT side of cybersecurity.

Freight Rail Safety

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will be holding a hearing on Wednesday on Freight Rail Transportation: Enhancing Safety, Efficiency, and Commerce. The current witness list includes:

● Mr. Frank Lonegro – CSX Transportation;

● Mr. Dave Brown – Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services;

● Mr. Bill Johnson – Former Director of Port Miami and Former Chair of the Florida Ports Council;

● Ms. Michelle Teel – Missouri Department of Transportation; and

● Mr. Chris Jahn – The Fertilizer Institute

It is clear from this list that hazardous material transportation will be one of the topics discussed. Given that fact it is slightly disappointing that no one from the emergency response community is included on the witness list.