U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
U.S. House Representative and Chair of the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee, Elliott Levitas (D-GA), wonders if EPA Chief of Staff John Daniel can remove this "credibility gap" by explaining the existence of a couple of shredders; couple of adult Caucasian males seated in BG, Rep. Norman Mineta (D-CA) seated next to Rep. Levitas. Daniel says that he can only offer information that has already been provided to them by their staff members; EPA Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero sits next to Daniel. He refers to the notes of a Mrs. Barbara Burris, who provides the chronology of obtaining one of the said shredders that found its way to the Department of Waste Programs Enforcement. Rep. Levitas asks for the date of that statement and Daniel provides it. Rep. Levitas then asks who placed the original order for the shredders. Daniel responds that he does not have independent knowledge, but is reading off of notes that show a Mrs. Nancy Collins, an Environmental Protection Agency Procurement Officer, telephoned and asked if the office could use two paper shredders. The reason for two shredders was a mistaken duplication in order, which she admitted to.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
U.S. House Representative and Chair of the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee, Elliott Levitas (D-GA) asks if Environmental Protection Agency Chief of Staff John Daniel has the original purchase order for those shredders; adult Caucasian males seated in BG and Rep. Norman Mineta (D-CA) sitting next to Rep. Levitas. Daniel does not, but he will get it and provide it to the committee; EPA Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero next to Daniel. Rep. Levitas asks about a memorandum regarding paper shredder use within the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (OERR) Superfund Office, specifically referring to where the shredder was located, and its open use without any records being kept. Public Works and Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. James J. Howard (D-NJ) interjects and asks who eventually paid for those shredders; Daniel replies that the OERR office most likely did. Lucero steps in to comment on the previous question. He states that while it was possible for people to have access to the shredder in the OERR office, since the subpoenas have been issued, they have kept all enforcement documents locked away.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
Two middle-aged adult Caucasian men and one middle-aged adult Caucasian woman seated on the lower tier of the dais. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero references Mrs. Gorsuch's testimony on controls placed around the use of shredders. Camera moves around different tiers of the dais, the Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, U.S. House Representative James Howard (D-NJ) and Rep. Gene Snyder (R-KY). Adult Caucasian man with his arms overspreading onto empty chairs to either side of him. Rep. Snyder wants to clarify that assistant administrator, under the authority of her office has access to files she wants. Lucero states that is correct, but there would also be a record of any files retrieved. Rep. Snyder confirms that access to that record will be provided and asks who creates the record. Lucero states the secretary to deputy director in his office has that responsibility and gives her name; adult, predominantly Caucasian men and women seated in BG.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
Continuation of U.S. House Subcommittee Hearing; adult Caucasian female stenographer typing, adult African American male bends over to write something down, adult Caucasian males taking photographs in BG. Adult male, off camera, reads: "I would like to inform Mr. Lucero that the copying machine is not a Xerox machine. It's a 3M machine, and its been out of order for quite a period of time, and therefore was not a source of the documents being run through the shredder." Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero, off camera, says that was not the only source of the documents. The statements provided to the committee acknowledge individuals who did use the shredder on occasion, but, "to the best of their knowledge, they have identified those documents." Adult Caucasian men and woman standing against wall listening; adult male, off camera, asks how the EPA was able to go so long without shredders.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
U.S. House Subcommittee Hearing in progress; aerial portrait of the Washington, D.C. area by the Potomac River. Adult male, off camera, states that when questions arise about "who knew about it, when did they know about it, and what did they do about it," nothing happened until investigators from the committee went to bring it to the attention of EPA officials; wide view of the adult Caucasian males and females in the committee room including witnesses, EPA Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero and EPA staff chief John Daniel. Aerial portrait of the Washington, D.C. area by the Potomac River. Adult male, off camera, asks how many shredders, altogether, the EPA has at the waterside mall complex of the EPA. No one at the witness table can answer the question; Lucero states the shredder in his office and his colleagues office are gone. Adult Caucasian male videographers standing by cameras, filming. Adult, predominantly Caucasian, men and women seated or standing in the gallery; adult male, off camera, wants to know when a shredder would be used instead of a trash can. Daniel states that there is no clear policy on that other, than specific instructions that are given to preserve records.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
Full view of U.S. House Subcommittee panel, including three tiered dais; adult Caucasian, predominantly males, seated on dais; adult Caucasian man asks for clarification that most of the sensitive documents are held in regional offices. EPA staff chief John Daniel corrects him by stating subpoenaed documents are found at regional offices. As to the question of sensitive documents, Daniel refers to EPA Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero for that answer; adult Caucasian men and women seated in the committee room and at the witness table.
U.S. House Subcommittee : Shreddergate Part 1
Over the shoulder view of adult Caucasian female with notes on her lap and a notepad. EPA Director of Waste Programs Enforcement Eugene Lucero states that they've gone through a screening process, but he doesn't have a count. Each regional office, though, likely has some amount of enforcement sensitive documents. Adult male, off camera, tries to ascertain the number of sensitive documents inventoried by the EPA, but Lucero does not know. Adult male asks if anybody at the witness table knows this answers, or if the inventory has been complete. Lucero, off camera, says it is not yet done and takes a long time. U.S. House Representatives Gene Snyder (R-KY), James Howard (D-NJ), Robert Roe (D-NJ), Norman Mineta (D-CA), Elliott Levitas (D-GA), Robert Edgar (D-PA), Donald Albosta (D-MI), James Oberstar (Democratic - Farm - Labor Party - MN), and Robert A. Young (D-MO) seated on the dais. Another adult male, off camera, steps in and asks if the number is not known, how can it be known the documents are lost; adult Caucasian male and female sitting on the second tier of the dais, camera zooms out to full dais, adult male, off camera, explains the process of labeling documents.