thank you mr. mckay. we look forward to your testimony. you are recognized for your opening statement. >> chairman lincoln. i am pleased to be here today to discuss the reports. in response to a request we understood this to studies. one study reported on federal efforts as well as prospects for meeting that statutory targets. the second study reported on the administration. and how that administration could be improved as well as the prospect for meeting the goals for reducing greenhouse gas admission. to do these studies we entered into a con tact. to identify who could assist us in answering the questions. last spring we held a group meeting at the academy with 20 of these we also met individually to evaluate the administration of the program. we spoke with officials from doe epa and the department of defense. we also visited research laboratories. interviewed representatives of 11 producers in the wide variety of feedstocks. finally we reviewed numerous studies and reports pertinent to our questions. the most salient finding is that it

mr. peter levine from the department of defense, ms. alyssa starzik and theresa mckay. mr. secretary, you're recognized for five minutes. >> mr. chairman, ranking member davis, thank you for holding this hearing and appreciate the discussion that i heard with the first panel. it shows serious engagement on what is really an important issue. i would also like to join your colleagues, mr. chairman, in thanking you for your service. you've been very gooded to the department of defense. your focus on these personnel and readiness issues has been important to us and helpful to us so thank you. i can't -- i'd also like to, if i may, thank chairman thornberry for being here and continuing to listen on occasion to my good friend mr. similar monos who i see also in the back row. you have my written statement and i won't read any of it. there are a few points i would like to focus on, some of which have been discussed but some i think deserves attention. recoupment is an ordinary fact of life in the military. our pay systems aren't as perfect as we would like them to be and we run in

mr. chairman. i would be happy. we would all be happy to answer any of your questions. joe heck ms. starzak, ms. mckay, do you have any opening comments? alissa starazk no. joe heck great, thank you. thank you mr. secretary for taking the time to be here and running us through the process. so one of the questions that i asked general baldwin, which he deferred to the second panel was of those 400 who they had recommended being relieved but lost -- did not get -- seek -- i guess but not granted relief. do they have another appeal avenue, or is that it they are one? peter levine so let me say two things. first i don't -- i don't necessarily tracked all of general baldwin's numbers. not that his numbers are wrong but were trying to develop our own database and go through the numbers on our way. so i can identify necessarily those 400 cases. but i can say is, we will provide an avenue for verybody here. in the cases of those who been committed who have already been convicted of fraud, that may be an narrower avenue, but we will provide an avenue for everybody. joe heck and, my only other question is for t

mr. peter levine from the department of defense, ms. alyssa starzik and theresa mckay. director of defense finance service. mr. secretary, you're recognized for five minutes. >> mr. chairman, ranking member davis, thank you for holding this hearing and appreciate the discussion that i heard with the first panel. it shows serious engagement on what is really an important issue. i would also like to join your colleagues, mr. chairman, in thanking you for your service. you've been very good to the department of defense. your focus on these personnel and readiness issues has been important to us and helpful to us so thank you. i can't -- i'd also like to, if i may, thank chairman thornberry for being here and continuing to listen on occasion to my good friend mr. similar monos who i see also in the back row. you have my written statement and i won't read any of it. there are a few points i would like to focus on, some of which have been discussed but some i think deserves attention. recoupment is an ordinary fact of life in the military. our pay systems aren't as perfect as