shimkus? >> thank you. i kind of want to build a little bit on what my friend mike doyle mentioned but i wanted a different perspective. your -- because it's kind of tied -- popped in my mind when he talked about federal workers. where are you finding your cyber warriors today from? where are they coming out of? coming from private universities, the military? briefly, cutting edge new people who are helping you do this stuff, where are they coming from? >> so -- >> go on down, real quick. >> i think it's a variety of places. i would say, you know, there's a need for more educational focus, in ict generally. but we find people on a variety of ways. some are former military service members, former law enforcement. others are just linus system administrators. others are former childhood hackers or something like this. and they're interested in it. so it's variety of things. >> but is there a college path? is it a -- i mean, can you get i.t. training in the business schools or computer science class? >> i can c

i know chairman shimkus and i talked about some of the things we can do with this. >> at this time i'd like to recognize the gentleman from texas, mr. barton, five minutes for questions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam administrator, back in october, i think october the 12th you appeared before a hearing of this committee. i asked you a question about the number of credit cards that the epa and what the limits were and how much money was spent and what the criteria. we put that in a follow-up letter to your administration on november the 1st. we've still not gotten an answer. can you enlighten us on the status of that query and what the response is to it? >> i think you have your epa women mixed up. i think that was ms. bennett's hearing and we'll get you an answer as soon as we can. >> do you know where it is? do you know anything about it other than we haven't gotten any response at all? >> i know we're preparing a response and will be getting a response to you, sir. >> okay. you have been doing quite a bit of travel which is a good thing i think. i don't have a problem with admini

coming back as he continues to recover from a stroke at the rehabilitation institute of chicago john shimkus says he has no doubt that the senator can cast knowledgeable votes today gov. quinn is appealing the fema decision not to help downstate areas that were destroyed by tornadoes or earlier this month the tornado that's what your harrisburg was one of many that hit the midwest over two weeks ago fema assessed the damage but denied the state's request for federal assistance fema found that private insurance state funding and charities would be enough gov. quinn is submitting an official appeal today it includes more information on damages and explains why a full recovery may be impossible without fema assistance powerful storms and tornadoes swept across southeast michigan yesterday this tornado was caught on camera as it passed through dexter the town took the brunt of that storm more than 100 homes were damaged by tornadoes hailstones and lighting winds were estimated at 135 mi. per hour was to wrench hailstones no deaths or injuries were reported in the ann arbor streets were flooded a

shimkus said, i would like to hear from each of you and you can say now or send it to me what you're seeing as the disturbing trends, and what is kind of the next thing out there. i'd like to know that. i'd like to get an idea of how much of your cost of doing business is beginning to center around the cyber security issues. in your testimony, several of you have mentioned in one way or another, either in response to the questions or testimony, fear that the federal government could end up being more of an impediment that a facilitator in bolstering some of the cyber security efforts. i would like for you to speak to what you are concerned that we might do and then what we are not doing that we should be doing. and hear from you in that vein. with your consumers, i would appreciate knowing what you're doing to educate them. i think one of the things that helps us as we go through the process is being certain that consumers are being educated so if i could get that bit of information and then when we look at the hacker attacks that are out there, some of the unanimous attacks, there's

shimkus said, i would like to hear from each of you and you can say it now or send it to me what you are seeing as a disturbing trend, and what is kind of the next thing out there? i would like to know that. i would like to get an idea of how much of doing your cost of business is beginning to center around the cybersecurity issue. in your testimony, several of you have mentioned in one way or another either in response to the questions or testimony feel that the federal government and up being more of an impediment than a facilitator in bolstering some of the cybersecurity efforts. i would like for you to speak to what you are concerned that we might do, and then what we are not doing that we should be doing and hear from you in that vein. would your consumers appreciate knowing what you're doing to educate them? i think that one of the things that helps us as we work through the process is being certain that consumers are educated so i could get that bit of information and then when we look at the attacks that are all there, some of the anonymous attacks, there's one in the news to

i have sponsored a bill, which is gathering lots of steam, along with congressman shawn shimkus. believe and he believes that every car that is manufactured in america ought to be flex fuel, meaning it would run on ethanol, methanol, anything that would help it to save fuel efficiency. other countries do this. it would cost $100 or less per car. we have natural gas in the united states. we can turn that into methanol. this is what we somebody doing, i think. brazil does it and it's done in many other countries. i think we should study every energy policy. the american people don't want to see a democratic energy paling or a republican energy policy, we need an american energy policy. we really need to do it. i hope we can do it on the energy and commerce committee by passing my legislation and congressman shimkus's legislation. that won't be a panacea. it's very complicated. there are all kinds of demands, india and china are driving prices up, tensions with iran are driving prices up. to some degree, we are limiting what we can do. but we should leave no stone unturned. >> shann

shimkus, for five minutes. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it's been a couple weeks since i have been able to come down to the floor and talk about nuclear waste. as you know through the past year i have been coming to the floor, i am chairman of the environment and economy, subcommittee we have jurisdiction over a lot of different types of waste. one is nuclear waste. i also have come to the floor to just give a short history lesson on where we are at, where we should be, and the problems that stand in our way. in 1982 the national government passed a nuclear waste policy act. in 1987 amendments were then offered that said we need to have a long-term geological repository and that repository should be yucca mountain. so i have been going around to the country and looking at the different places where we have high-level nuclear waste. whether it's on the west coast, the state of flo

shimkus, that every car produced in america should be a flex fuel car. i believe if a car can run on ethanol, methanol, gasoline, natural gas, whatever, competition helps bring down prices. and it would bring down prices. i've seen that happen in brazil, and i think it could happen here. and i would hope -- and it would cost $100 or less per car to manufacture a car with fleck fuel features. so i would hope that i know the president has issued an executive order to have the federal fleet be flex fuel cars, and i would hope we can continue to move in that direction. so i would just like you to briefly comment on that, if you could. >> certainly. the ability to own a flex fuel vehicle, especially if costs of the new car would be something, as you indicated, $100 or less, gives the american consumer more options. it makes them more in control of what they can do in the terms of -- just in case the world oil price does increase. as we said, we're very concerned about the price of gasoline, and one of the options that we can have to bring relief to the americ

shimkus for five minutes. >> i kind of want to build a little bit on what my friend mike doyle mentioned, but i want a different perspective. because it is kind of tied, popped in my mind when you talk about federal workers. where are you finding your cyber warriors today from? in other words, where are they coming out of? are they coming from private universities? on the coming out of the military? briefly, cutting edge new people who help you do this stuff, where are they coming from? >> i think it's a private of places, and i would say there's a need for more educational focus not just in cybersecurity but i.t. generally. we find people and writing of which some are former military servicemen, former law enforcement. others are just lay next system administrators that are interested in security. others are former childhood hackers or something like this. it's a friday of things. >> is there a college path? can you get i.t. training in the business schools or computer science class? >> i have been teaching a stevens for 22 years to i teach this semester. if you look at my class in 1990

shimkus said i would like to hear from each of you and you can say now or send it to me. what you are seeing as the disturbing trends, and what is the next thing out there? i would like to know that and i would like to get an idea of how much of your cost of doing business is beginning to center around the cybersecurity issues. in your testimony, several of you have mentioned in one way or another in response to the questions in your testimony, the federal government could end up being more of an impediment than a facilitator in bolstering some of the cybersecurity efforts. i would like for you to speak to what you are concerned that we might do and then what we are not doing that we should be doing. and hear from you in that vein. with your consumers appreciate knowing what you are doing to educate them? i think that one of the things that helps us as we work through the process is being certain that consumers are educated and if i could get that bit of information and then when we look at the attacks that are out there, some of the anonymous attacks. there is one in the

first of all, going back to something their shimkus said, i would like to hear from each of you and you can say now or send it to me, what you're seeing as disturbing trends and what is the next thing out there. i'd like to know that. i'd like to get an idea of how much of your cost of doing business is beginning to center around the cyber security issues. in your testimony, several of you have mentioned in one way or another, either in response to the questions or testimony, fear that the federal government could end up being more of an impediment than a facilitator in bolstering some of the cyber security efforts. i would like for you to speak to what you are concerned that we might do and then what we are not doing what we should be doing, and hear from you in that vein. which -- with your consumers, i would appreciate knowing what you're doing to educate them. one of the things that helps us as we work through the process is being certain that consumers are educated so if i could get that bit of information and then when we look at the hacker attacks that are out there, some of the

shimkus, five minutes for questions kit. i was giving a tour of the wounded warriors in the capitol so in that been your some of my questions will be asked. we think it is applaudable for us to try to organize these agencies and try to maximize from the focus we know that you've got federal interagency committee, the federal clearing house or tbi research database and center for near a scientist and regenerative madison. how are you going to try to coordinate these groups. everyone knows and the president has also said we've got to get efficient and appeared on the redundancies. how are you going to go about doing that? >> i should clarify the interagency committee that hrsa is convening is really not to achieve that in a truck agency. >> do you think that's an important thing to do? >> it's a very important thing to do with each agency, ours is more of an informal group who of what other agencies are doing and better aligned with what we are doing with our resources of others there is the need for the agencies to coordinate

shimkus of illinois for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from michigan, mr. conyers, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. conyers: i rise today to pay tribute to my friend, my brother, the one and only harry belafonte whose birthday is today. his fame as a singer, poplarizing the caribbean becausical style -- musical style with an international audience and is best known for singing the "banana boat song" with its signature lyric,, day-o. he's a movie star and was in pictures, film with dorty dandrige and carmen jones which was otto permission to address the house for one minute minger's hit musical. -- which was otto preminger's hit musical. throughout his years he's been a civil right advocate and leader in humanitarian causes, and for me his close counsel and advice and support to the late dr. re

shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, mr. john roe is the chairman and c.e.o. of exxon is retiring upon closing of the company's mother -- merger with constellation energy. he was hired to help fix its troubled nuclear fleet and prepare the company for deregulation. in both 2008 and 2009, institutional investor named john the best electric utility c.e.o. in america. in the 14 years of john's leadership, exxon has been named by forbes as one of america's best companies, a global 2000 company, the best manage utility company to fortune's list of the world's most admired companies and one of business week's top 50 companies and utility year by electric light and power. throughout john's career he has been an active leading voice in energy and environmental policy, delivering policy addresses and testifying before congress, the federal energy regulatory commission and state regulators. john and his wife are committed participants in civic and cultural activities, they are committed to a wide range of variety of civic activities with a focus on education and diversi