I am not reluctant to make decisions, but I will make them only after careful consideration of the facts and after seeking input from all affected parties. As State Engineer, I did not have the luxury or the options of passing on a problem or wishing them to go away. Decisions involving water impact human lives and the environment. The economies of individual families and of significant areas will be impacted by decision makers. In my capacity as State Engineer, I rendered decisions that affected the needs of individual farmers to those effecting the development of a $1.8 billion microchip processing facility and its impact on the State of New Mexico. I was elected to a 6-year term on the Santa Fe School Board and served as its chairman for 2 years. I understand and respect the difference between making and carrying out policy and that policymakers must have candid and dependable information available to them in their decision making process. My relationship with the total membership of the New Mexico State legislature was one of the high points of my tenure as State Engineer. I gained their respect and confidence because I strived to understand our respective roles and provided them with candid answers and timely information. If confirmed as Commissioner of Reclamation, you should expect no less. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I again thank you for your consideration. It is an honor to have been nominated by the President for this position and an honor to appear before you today. [The prepared statement of Mr. Martinez follows:] Prepared Statement Of Eluid L. Martinez, Nominee To Be Commissioner Of The Bureau Of Reclamation, Department Of The Interior Mr. Chairman and committee members, I am honored and appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today as you consider my suitability and qualifications to hold the position of Commissioner of Reclamation. Water, its availability and management, is crucial to human existence, particularly in arid regions. The prudent allocation and management of this natural resource is vital to the well-being of citizens of the western United States. For approximately 24 years, from 1971 through 1994, I was employed by the office of the New Mexico State Engineer, in the protection, allocation and administration of that state's water resources. During the last four years of that career, I served as the State Engineer, having been appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate. In the capacity of State Engineer, I was ultimately responsible for the management and administration of New Mexico's water. My decisions were subject to review only by the courts of the State. In carrying out the duties of that position, I quickly realized that actions and decisions involving water in the west are, at best, volatile. A decision-maker can never please all interested parties and is always second guessed. I came to realize that there is no such thing as an expert on water issues, at best, actions or decisions are based on educated assumptions and experience. I do not pretend to be an expert on Bureau of Reclamation history, laws and related issues', however, my educational background and extensive practical experience would serve me well in quickly grasping and addressing issues. My extensive experience in dealing with the general public and with special interest groups would likewise serve me well. I am not reluctant to make difficult decisions, but I make them only after careful consideration of the facts and after seeking input from affected parties. As State Engineer, I did not have the option or luxury of passing on a problem or wishing that it would go away. Decisions involving water impact human lives and the environment. The economies of individual families and of significant areas will be impacted by decisionmakers. In my capacity as State Engineer, I rendered decisions that spanned needs of individual farmers, on tracts of irrigated land of less than one acre to those effecting the development of a $ 1.8 billion micro-chip processing facility and its impact on New Mexico's water and public welfare. Appointed by numerous mayors and county commissions, I served on and chaired land zoning commissions, city and county planning boards and urban development bodies. I served an elected six-year term on the Santa Fe Public School Board and served as its chairman for two years. I understand and respect the difference between making and carrying out policy and that policy-makers must have candid and dependable information available in their decision-making process. My relationship with the total membership of the New Mexico State Legislature was one of the high points of my tenure as State Engineer. I gained the respect and confidence of those legislators because I strived to understand our respective roles and provided them with candid answers and timely information. If confirmed as Commissioner of Reclamation, you should expect no less. Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I again thank you for your consideration. It is an honor to have been nominated by the President for this position, and an honor to appear before you today. The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Martinez. TESTIMONY OF DERRICK L. FORRISTER, NOMINEE TO BE AS- Mr. Forrister. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today and I am honored also that President Clinton has nominated me to serve you and Secretary O'Leary in this position. I am particularly enthusiastic about this nomination because the Department's missions are so vital to our Nation's future. These missions of national security, energy resources, environmental quality, science and technology, and industrial competitiveness have helped to make America great and will help us win international markets in the 21st century. Mr. Chairman, the pace and extent of change in Government in our time makes good communication between the Congress and the administration increasingly important. As the Congress makes legislative decisions, as the Secretary administers the law, and as we work with States on matters of snared jurisdiction, it is critical to maintain frequent, timely, and high-quality contact. This is the responsibility of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Energy. Now, about my background. I worked for the past 2 years for Secretary O'Leary as a special assistant for policy. Prior to that, I worked for over 6 years for former Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee as a legislative aide. I bring an understanding from these experiences of both substance and process. I am aware of the kinds of information that are beneficial to members of Congress, and I appreciate your need for timely and relevant information that is thorough, clear, and concise. The congressional affairs team at the Department must facilitate the flow of information to you and your colleagues from the wide reservoir of expertise and talent there, and perhaps more importantly, it must ensure that the Secretary has benefit of your views. When I worked in the Congress, the largest contributions to good public policy were always made in bipartisan coalitions. That is still my personal approach, to look for opportunities to form alliances and to find middle ground. This is what the American people desire most of their leaders today, less argument and more genuine cooperation that gets the work of Government done. If confirmed for this position, I offer you and the Secretary a dedication to find common ground, the creativity to pursue it, and the strategic vision to reach it. I pledge that if confirmed, I will do my personal best to meet your daily needs with prompt responses. My background offers one other characteristic, a dedication to public service that benefits real people. Before coming to Washington and after my graduation from law school, I represented some of these real people on the legal problems they faced. I was drawn to the sort of work in large part because of the family that is here with me today. I want to pay tribute to one who is not here also today, my father, Vardaman Forrister, who passed away when I was a child. Like the Mississippi Governor he was named for, he left high school intending to run for office some day. He was dedicated to helping poor people like the other sharecroppers he worked alongside in rural Mississippi and Alabama. His career ladder was much different than mine, cotton picking, canning factory, gardener, country preacher, and eventually college professor. But his life taught us a genuine devotion to family, community, and faith. He taught us that the greatest privilege in life was to serve others and to do so with integrity, intellect, and humor. Every day of my professional life reflects what I learned from him and is sustained by the family here with me today, as well as my seven siblings who could not attend. In closing, I want to express my gratitude to the chairman for making this hearing possible, to the Secretary for her confidence in recommending me, and to the chairman and members of the committee for considering my nomination. I pledge to you the best that I have to offer, and if confirmed, look forward to a strong partnership as we face the challenges of our time together. [The prepared statement of Mr. Forrister follows:] Prepared Statement Of Derrick L. Forrister, Nominee To Be Assistant SecRetary For Congressional And Intergovernmental Affairs, Department Of Energy Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today, and I am honored that President Clinton has nominated me to serve you and Secretary O'Leary as the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department of Energy. I am particularly enthusiastic about this nomination, because the spectrum of missions carried out by the Department of Energy is so critical to the future of our nation. The Department's five overarching missions have helped make America great and will continue to enable our nation to compete effectively in the international marketplace of the 21st Century: • The National Security mission helped secure the peace of the Cold War and guards against nuclear proliferation around the world today, striving to maintain peace for the future. • The Energy Resources mission helped the nation overcome the energy crisis of the 1970's, and continues the research and development of technologies that, in coming decades, will drive our economy while advancing the goals of environmental protection. • The Environmental Quality mission has produced marked progress in cleaning up and managing the environmental problems left behind as a result of 50 years of nuclear weapons production. In the process, the Department has helped American industries develop environmental technologies that are valuable in industrial settings in our country, and that are even more valuable as exports to industries abroad. • Undergirding all of these missions is the Science and Technology mission, grounded in the Department's national laboratories, which are still, today, the world's premier research institutions. • All of these activities support a fifth and final mission, advancing our nation's industrial competitiveness in an increasingly tough global marketplace. In short, this is a Department with phenomenal responsibilities, facing enormous challenges and endowed with tremendous strengths. It is exciting to have the privilege to be nominated to the Senate to lead a division of this agency. Mr. Chairman, the pace and extent of change in government in our time makes good communication between the Congress and the Administration an increasingly high priority. This is particularly true regarding the Department's missions. As you and your fellow Members of Congress make legislative decisions, as the Secretary and Administration officials administer these laws, and as states work with the Department on matters of shared jurisdiction, it is critical to maintain frequent, timely and high-quality contact. This is the mission of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. In addition, as part of the Department's "Strategic Realignment and Downsizing Initiative," this office will combine forces this fall with the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Freedom of Information Act. This merger will consolidate all of the Department's communications and public outreach programs into one team. This new organization intends to gain efficiencies and improve the quality of service in each of these areas—relations with Congress, state and local officials, officials with governments of Indian tribes and foreign nations, the press and the public—by better coordinating these offices and aligning them to the Department's five strategic missions or "business lines". These businesses—national security, energy resources, environmental quality, science and technology, and industrial competitiveness— bring strategic focus to the President's policy priorities and the legislative directives this Congress and its predecessors set forth. This strategic focus helps ensure that the Department accomplishes the real results that you and the public require. Since external communications cuts across each of these subject areas, the governmental and public affairs activities will be organized into strategic teams to support the programs in accomplishing their objectives. I come from a background as a congressional staffer, having worked over six years for former Congressman Jim Cooper. In the last two years, I added experience as a policy advisor to Secretary O'Leary, where I helped to represent her views to our colleagues throughout the Administration, the Congress, state and local governments and foreign nations. From my years as a congressional staffer, I bring an understanding of both substance and process, primarily from staff experience on the Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy Act. I am aware of the kinds of information that are beneficial to Members of Congress. I appreciate your need for timely and relevant information that is thorough, clear and concise. My experience in the Department has helped me learn how and where to locate information about programs that Members need to carry out their responsibilities. To be successful, the Congressional Affairs team must facilitate the flow of this information to you and your colleagues from the wide reservoir of expertise and talent in the Department. And perhaps more importantly, it must ensure that the perspective of the Congress is well understood by the Secretary and other leaders in the Department as they address critical issues for the nation. In my experience in a Congressional office, the largest contributions to good public policy were always made in bipartisan coalitions. My approach is to always look for opportunities to build alliances wherever possible and to find middle ground. I believe that this is what the American people desire most of their leaders today—less argument and more genuine cooperation that gets the work of government done. If confirmed for this position, I offer you and the Secretary a dedication to find common ground, the creativity to pursue it and the strategic capability to advance solutions to benefit the people of this great nation. I pledge that, if confirmed, I will do my personal best to meet your daily needs with prompt responses. My background offers one other characteristic that I want to mention, and that is a dedication to the public service that benefits real people. Before coming to Washington and alter my graduation from Rutgers Law School, I represented some of these "real people* on legal problems they faced, usually relating to their poverty. I was drawn to this sort of work in large part because of the family that is here with me today: my wife, Mimi Turnipseed, who has served two members of this Committee as a staffer herself, but now devotes her life to our two children, Trent and Jenn. I am also proud that my mother, Carolyn Forrister Maddux and my stepfather, Frank Maddux, could come up from Nashville to be here today. My character was shaped most in my early years by one who is not here, my father, James K. Vardaman Forrister, who passed away in 1969. Like the Mississippi governor he was named for, he left high school intending to run for office someday. He was dedicated to helping poor people, like the other share-croppers he worked alongside in rural Mississippi and Alabama. His career ladder was much different than mine— cotton picking, canning factory, gardener, country preacher and college professor. But his life showed genuine devotion to family, community and faith. He taught his four sons that the greatest privilege in life was to serve others, and to do so with integrity, intellect and humor. Every day of my professional life reflects what I learned from him, and it is sustained by the family here with me today—as well as my seven siblings who could not attend. In closing, I want to express my gratitude to the Chairman for making this hearing possible, to the Secretary for her confidence in recommending me for this position, and to the chairman and Members of this Committee for considering my nomination. I pledge to you the best that I have to offer, and, if confirmed, I look forward to a strong partnership as we /ace the challenges of our time together. The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Forrister. TESTIMONY OF CHARLES WILLIAM BURTON, NOMINEE TO BE Mr. Burton. Mr. Chairman and other distinguished members of the committee, I am Bill Burton and I am honored to have been nominated by President Clinton to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation. I want to personally thank Senator Bumpers and Senator Johnston for your kind words this morning and also Senator Ford and, from my home State, Senator Hutchison, for submitting letters. I am honored to appear before this committee today for several reasons, primarily the fact that I understand the critical role that you, Mr. Chairman, and other members of the committee played in the establishment of the corporation and most recently in reporting out legislation supporting the privatization of the corporation. Your belief that an efficient, independent enterprise, unencumbered by bureaucratic red tape could transform a moribund Government program into a profitable, valuable business was visionary. I look forward to working closely with you and other members of Congress in completing the work of establishing a fully private, reliable, domestic source of uranium enrichment services here in the United States. Senator Johnston in his opening remarks referred to USEC as a child of this committee. You should be proud parents. I just want to close by congratulating the current members of the Board of Directors, Bill Rainer, Kneeland Youngblood, and Margaret Greene, and the excellent team that they have assembled headed by Nick Timbers to manage the business. The record they have established in the short time—they have taken it out of the Government bureaucracy and into a Government corporation—demonstrates what entrepreneurial spirit can do in transforming the public sector in the way Government does business. By reducing costs, improving productivity, increasing sales, the USEC team has boosted the value of this business, enhancing its position as the preeminent supplier of uranium enrichment services in the world. The privatization plan that the board submitted to President Clinton and the Congress in June represents a major opportunity to demonstrate how effective Government reform can work. The completion of privatization hopefully over the next few months will |