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MORGANTOWN, W.V. – Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, held a hearing today in West Virginia to explore the use of new identification technologies in improving the safety and security of air travel. The hearing, hosted by West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, featured testimony from a panel of experts on aviation and biometrics. Biometrics is an emerging field of computer-based technology devoted to the identification of individuals using methods such as retinal scans, fingerprinting or face recognition.

"It's obvious that since the attacks on September 11, we are living in a new world," said Rockefeller. "We must now investigate different strategies to cope with this new reality. I believe that significant evidence was produced here today to indicate that biometrics is one strategy that can be employed relatively quickly to strengthen security measures in America. This is important work. Airline safety is no longer simply about protecting passengers, it is about national security."

The hearing featured testimony from Jane Garvey, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration; Charles Barclay, President of the American Association of Airport Executives; Richard Doubrava, Director of Security for the Air Transportation Association; John Siedlarz, Incoming Chairman of the International Biometric Industry Association; John Selldorf, President of Automation and Control Solutions at Honeywell; and Jeff Planton, Senior Vice President of Electronic Data Systems.

Dr. Michael Yura, Director of the Forensics Identification Program at WVU, also provided detailed testimony on the state of biometric technology and its potential applications.

Rockefeller added, "West Virginia is home to two of the nation's leading biometrics technology centers, The Center for Identification Technology research, located on the campus of West Virginia University and The U.S. Army's Biometrics Fusion Center. These facilities are on the cutting edge of identification technology, and are poised to make a great contribution to our airport security. In times of war, West Virginia has a long history of rising to the challenge. The Mountain State stands ready again to make a significant contribution."

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