Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that Chairman Richard Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall of the U.S. House Committee on Resources have responded to the Congressional request for an insular areas oversight hearing.

 In letters addressed to Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall, Congressman Faleomavaega, Congresswoman Donna Christensen (USVI) and Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (Guam) requested that hearings be held to focus on political, economic development, health and education issues in the Insular Areas.

 “Although the Resources Committee was unable to schedule a formal hearing to coincide with the presence of the Governors of the insular areas in Washington, DC for the National Governor’s Association Annual Winter Meeting, Chairman Richard Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall have agreed to hold an informal meeting with the Governors and the Delegates to discuss insular area issues.  The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 2, 2006, at 11:00am.”

 “This approach is advantageous for a few reasons including the fact that all parties may express those issues that rise to the highest levels of importance even though they may not be under the direct jurisdiction of the House Resources Committee.  By raising awareness of our political, economic, health and education concerns, we hope to gain support for future measures that would positively impact our territories.  For this reason, we appreciate that Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall are able to meet with us,” Faleomavaega concluded.