Olympia Snowe

I think that it's a fair presumption--then once that information has been disseminated--that it has to be evaluated before anybody gets on the plane.

I certainly hope that somehow the sense of urgency in our institutions is not sublimated into bureaucratic quagmires.

Senator Snowe has been working on with Senator Lincoln and Senator Roberts over at the Finance Committee.

On Tuesday, Senator Snowe and Senator Landrieu introduced legislation to extend the Section 179 expensing rules at the $250,000 level permanently.

I am definitely very appreciative of everything Senator Snowe has done to support the New Markets Tax Credit.

Senator Rockefeller and Senator Snowe have introduced legislation to make the credit effective for five more years.

Senator Snowe has been very interested in, and that has helped paper companies maintain jobs this year.

Do you think it's possible to reach the 100-percent deadline for air cargo screening, by August of 2010?

Even though the Inspector General indicated that there there's a shortage of TSA personnel, in regard to the screening program?

Because it wasn't clear in the Inspector General's report as to whether or not that had reached the 50-percent level.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And welcome, Secretary Napolitano. In fact, one of my staff people witnessed your work at TSA firsthand, as a screener. They said you did an excellent job.

This report indicates that TSA is unable to properly identify and address vulnerabilities which continue to occur year after year

If you combine the issue of fatigue, low salaries, lack of experience... all of these amount to a potentially dangerous situation for passengers and pilots.

I think it's essential. It's obviously languished for more than a half a century, and it has been on the National Transportation Safety Board's Most Wanted List since 1990.

What do you think we can do?

But, a process hasn't been established----

I just believe that providing NOAA with the leadership position that it deserves at this point in time, to be the conduit for ocean policy.

I mean, to pass legislation that gives you statutory authority that first, I think, would solidify NOAA's position as the leader on oceans issues.

Thank you for calling this hearing.

And how--either you or Chair Sutley or Dr. Lubchenco and Deputy Secretary Davis, could you explain how we expect this process to work?

I would think that that would be a very complicating approach, frankly, in terms of designing a process, let alone the whole map.

I do want to take a moment to express to you, Admiral Allen and the entire Coast Guard community, my deepest condolences in the loss of seven of your shipmates along with two U.S. marines in a tragic accident.

One was to develop the National Ocean Policy. The second issue, of course, was marine spatial planning.

Before you pay these people, at least make sure they have good safety standards which yield a high level of safety.

Well, I appreciate that very much, and we appreciate the work that you are doing.