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Politics
Senate hearing on Bush pick to be broadcast online



NOMINEE: Sue Ellen Wooldridge, aide to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, to go before Senate Energy Committee for confirmation hearing. File Photo © The Daily Triplicate.
The Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing today on the nomination of Sue Ellen Wooldridge as Solicitor of the Interior.

The hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. It will be broadcast over the Internet at http://energy.senate.gov/
hearings/hearing_avs1.ram
.

Wooldridge is deputy chief of staff and counselor to Secretary Norton. She has served in that position since January 2001. President Bush announced her nomination as solicitor in late January.

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) officials said yesterday they would seek to ensure Wooldridge understands federal Indian law and policy. Jackie Johnson, NCAI's executive director, added that she would want the Senate committee to be aware of any possible involvement between Wooldridge and former Solicitor Bill Myers, who stepped down last year.

Several tribes, Indian organizations and dozens of environmental groups are opposing Myers' nomination for a spot on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats on the panel are likely to vote against him but the one-vote Republican majority could prevail.

NCAI president Tex Hall and Johnson met with senators to discuss Myers yesterday.

From the Indianz.Com Archive:
Probe raises more questions than answers (08/07)
How to Mismanage Indian Trust Assets Without Really Trying (08/07)
Tribal bias charged in Klamath dispute (03/14)
Federal judge targets Norton aide for contempt (12/13)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Office of the Solicitor, DOI - http://www.doi.gov/sol
Klamath Tribes - http://www.klamathtribes.org
Klamath Basin in Crisis - http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org

Related Stories:
Norton aide eyes promotion at Interior (3/10)
White House called weekly about casino (11/05)
Norton aide knew little about DOI (05/15)
Top officials facing court investigations (5/7)
For Norton, a shaky year in trust (02/15)
Norton tries to convince judge on trust reform (2/14)
Norton contempt trial opens (12/10)
Norton attacks court monitor (12/10)
Norton set for contempt trial (12/10)
Norton slammed by trust fund monitor (7/12)
Norton takes trust into own hands (7/11)
Norton drops trust fund sampling plan (7/10)