Estimate of cost of 2020 census which does not conform best practices. Quality cost estimates can help an agency manage complex activities as well as help Congress Make funding decisions and provide sufficient oversight however, cost estimate only partially met characteristics of best practice and min malely met other best practices well documented incredible. Bureau has not public released update to 2015 cost estimate yet several events since then including changes requirements and procedures, the life cycle cost would be substantially higher than original estimate of 12. 5 billion. The bureaus preparation for 2020 have been further complicated by ongoing vacancies in the positions of census director and Deputy Director. Active leadership has since been named, turnover makes it difficult to ensure accountability and continuity as well as to mitigate risks and control costs over the long term. This concludes my prepared remarks, i will turn it over to my colleague who will discuss the
Okay, second panel. Yall ready . And just like before, start out with Opening Statements from all the panelists followed by questions from members and i recognize thomas fanning. President and ceo of Southern Company. Hes here on behalf of electricity sub sector counsel. Tom, you have five minutes for your opening statement. Microphone please. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me to testify today. My name is tom fanning. I am the chairman, president , and ceo of Southern Company and past chairman of the Edison Electric institute, the association that represents all the u. S. Investorowned electric companies. Im addressing you today as my role as one of three cochairs of the council. We collaborate closely with our colleagues from public power utilities and rural cooperatives on escc. Im pleased to address the subcommittee and to chair the steps the electric Power Industry is taking to make Energy Infrastructure smarter and more resilient. Allowing us to continue delivering affordable a
Continue to take control of our destinies. Teach them to count their blessings, cultivating an attitude of gratitude. Give us the wisdom to shut out yesterdays disappointments and tomorrows fears. Show us how to live in daytight compartments with total dependence on your mercy and grace. Help us to cherish the freedom of this land as you continue to emancipate us from sins slavery. We pray in your sacred name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell in the last national election, the American People elected a Republican Senate. Since then weve accomplished a lot of important things for our country. Landmark education reform, permanent tax relief for families, and small bus
Procurement deals. I didnt that there is a lot more to the relationship, including the way we deal with the relationship with the rest of the world. We have not talked about Everything Else we do around the world together in some of the troubled spots. There are real values that we share. In the context, we in canada there is a need to be a closer relationship between the Prime Minister and the president. We will move the conversation along, but this pipeline decision lies with the president. It will be something canadians can look to and say, he said no. I went to get a sense on how significant a dent that could put in the relationship if president obama says no to the keystone. I think it depends on how it is managed between the two leaders. This is a case in which the Prime Minister believes this is an important issue for canada. It was understandable in the context of the runup to the president ial Election Campaign the last time that he was saying no and there were other issues th
Least aware of the fact that they assaad, might have a short halflife is to move over the other side of the fence with brahimi. On our side, this is not a popular view, but to join in with preconditions to negotiations and drop them all, theres no good negotiation, in my view, that starts with the other side requiring it to give up as a consequence. That is not realistic. I do not know why we jump on that . It may have been seen as the one element necessary to keep the syrian obligation together what we tried to move in the other direction, but now that he has made his point of view, we have something of an open door. I would verily like to see, and i do not think the iranians would support it come about the humanitarian ceasefire based on the commitments in negotiations. I also have my own doubts as to whether a Transitional Government makes so much sense and whether we ought not to arrive to elections. The Syrian Election Commission and the u. N. Commission election Election Commissi