[Senate Document 113-4]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Jeff Bingaman
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. Doc. 113-4
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Jeff Bingaman
United States Senator
1983-2013
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2014
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell Address......................................
xi
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
7
Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
20
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
8
Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
15
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
9
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
19
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
10, 17
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
3
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
23
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
14
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
12, 25
Udall, Tom, of New Mexico......................
4, 8
BIOGRAPHY
Jeff Bingaman, born October 3, 1943, grew up in Silver
City, NM, and attended Silver City public schools. Both
his parents were educators. His father Jesse was the
chairman of the science department at Western New Mexico
University. His mother Beth was an elementary school
teacher.
After graduating from Western High School (now Silver
High) in 1961, Jeff Bingaman attended Harvard University,
where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in government in
1965. He subsequently entered the Stanford University
School of Law, where he graduated in 1968. He served in
the Army Reserves from 1968 to 1974. In 1969 he began his
legal career as assistant New Mexico attorney general and
served as counsel to the New Mexico State Constitutional
Convention held in Santa Fe in 1969. The following year he
entered private practice. In 1978 he was elected attorney
general of New Mexico. He was first elected to the U.S.
Senate for New Mexico in 1982 and was reelected in the
following four terms.
Senator Bingaman was committed to improving economic
opportunity and economic security for America's working
families, and to retaining our Nation's competitive edge
in the world economy. He was a leader in the effort to
enhance U.S. industrial competitiveness, improve the
Nation's trading position in the world, and create high-
wage jobs in the United States and New Mexico. He is known
for helping launch a major expansion of ``dual-use''
military and commercial technologies. He was a prime
author of the legislation creating SEMATECH, an innovative
public-private consortium credited with helping bring the
American semiconductor industry back from the doldrums of
the 1980s. The Senator also fought for creation and tough
enforcement of the U.S.-Japan Semiconductor Agreement in
1986. That agreement, and the creation of SEMATECH, were
major factors in Intel Corporation's decision to expand,
which produced thousands of jobs in New Mexico. In
response to the National Academy of Science's report
titled ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm,'' which raised
concerns about the Nation's ability to retain its
advantage in the marketplace in science and technology,
Senator Bingaman joined a bipartisan group of Senators to
write the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully
Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science
Act of 2007. The purpose of the law, called ``America
COMPETES,'' was to invest in innovation through research
and development and education.
Senator Bingaman dedicated a significant amount of his
work in the Senate to health care issues. He served as a
member of the two committees with primary jurisdiction
over health care--the Senate Finance Committee and the
Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee.
For his last six Congresses he was the only Democrat to
sit on both committees and often served as a bridge on
health care issues for both. Much of his work focused on
low-income health care programs for children and the
elderly through the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He also was known to
champion reforms to improve the overall quality and
efficiency of health care as well as oral health care and
health care workforce issues. Notably, during national
health reform efforts in 2009 and 2010, Senator Bingaman's
dual role on the Finance and HELP Committees placed him in
a pivotal role; he was asked by HELP Chairman Kennedy to
lead negotiations for Title I of the Affordable Care Act
and he was asked by Finance Chairman Baucus to participate
in the bipartisan Gang of Six negotiations. Senator
Bingaman took a leading role authoring many provisions in
the new law including the creation of health insurance
exchanges, insurance market reforms, Medicare payment and
quality improvements, oral health care, as well as health
care workforce improvements.
Jeff Bingaman has been called the ``Education Senator''
by one of New Mexico's leading newspapers. He was the
first Senator to introduce legislation calling for
national education goals and academic standards. He was
also a cosponsor of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act,
which established national content and performance
standards in core academic subjects such as math, English,
and geography, and also encouraged States to develop their
own academic content and performance standards. His
Technology for Education Act provides schools nationwide
with the strategy and resources to help them use
educational technologies to assist American students
achieve academic standards and prepare them for the
workplace. He was a leading advocate for expanding access
to the Advanced Placement (AP) Program that enables
students to obtain college credit while still in high
school. He emphasized making AP courses available to
students from all economic backgrounds.
Senator Bingaman served as both chairman and ranking
minority member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee over a 12-year period, as well as a senior
member of the Senate Finance Committee, chairing its
Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and
Infrastructure. In these roles, Senator Bingaman made an
indelible mark on the Nation's energy and land
conservation policy. He worked to protect and enhance New
Mexico's and the Nation's public lands and its natural and
cultural resources. He led the charge for passage of a law
in 2000 that allowed the Federal Government to acquire for
$100 million the 94,761-acre Baca Ranch in the Jemez
Mountains--one of only three supervolcanoes in the United
States--and to designate it as the Valles Caldera National
Preserve to protect its natural values and cultural
resources for future generations. In 2009 Senator Bingaman
won passage of a law that protected more than 2 million
acres of Federal land in 9 States as wilderness, added
over 1,100 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic
River System, and established 4 new national conservation
areas and 1 new national monument. Senator Bingaman also
negotiated and authored the legislation that President
Barack Obama used to establish the 242,500-acre Rio Grande
del Norte National Monument in Taos County, NM--the first
large landscape protected by President Obama using his
authority under the Antiquities Act.
Senator Bingaman was also a strong champion of Indian
Country. He authored legislation that resolved an
ownership dispute between Sandia Pueblo and the Federal
Government over title to Sandia Mountain near Albuquerque
and legislation that settled three separate longstanding
Indian water rights claims by the Navajo Nation, Taos
Pueblo, and the four Pueblo Indian tribes in the Pojoaque
Basin, ensuring that these tribes will have secure and
reliable access to clean water in the future. He also
worked to secure passage of the Claims Resolution Act of
2010 which provided $3.4 billion for the Cobell Indian
Trust Settlement.
His focus on diversifying the Nation's supply of both
electricity and transportation fuels ushered in an era of
expansive growth in renewable power and fuels, while
facilitating the technological developments that gave rise
to unprecedented discovery and production of domestic gas
and oil reserves.
His work on energy efficiency produced new Federal
policies promoting energy conservation through more
efficient lighting, appliances, manufacturing, vehicles,
and buildings. This legacy has contributed greatly to
increasing U.S. self-reliance in energy, while also
reducing carbon emissions.
His leadership in creating ARPA-E, a Department of
Energy based investment fund for early stage potentially
``game-changing,'' energy technologies will yield benefits
to the Nation's energy production and conservation for
decades to come.
Public safety concerns were of equal importance to the
Senator, as he worked to make America's streets, schools,
and homes safer. He supported a crime bill that provided
funds for more than 300 police officers in New Mexico as
well as prisons and crime prevention initiatives for
youth.
He was known for his long-term approach to defense
issues and for his critical thinking on issues of
international concern. He was a strong and consistent
voice for reducing the threat posed by nuclear, chemical,
and biological weapons worldwide. He pushed for
ratification of the START II Treaty and Chemical Weapons
Convention and for reduction of the threat posed by
weapons of mass destruction.
His work on international policies also included efforts
to strengthen non-military relationships, such as through
collaboration on science research and technology
commercialization, and his work reflected his commitment
to human rights, as evidenced by his success in winning
funding for workers rights enforcement in the Dominican
Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA-DR). He advocated the provision of U.S.
international trade preferences to developing countries
such as Haiti to complement traditional foreign assistance
and speed economic growth in those countries.
Senator Bingaman served on the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources from 1985 to 2013, for which he was
chairman or ranking minority member from 1999 to 2013; the
Committee on Finance from 2001 to 2013; the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from 1987 to 2013;
and the Joint Economic Committee from 1987 to 2013. Before
joining the Finance Committee, he served on the Committee
on Armed Services for nearly two decades. He also served
for shorter periods on the Special Committee on Aging, the
Select Committee on Ethics, the Committee on Government
Affairs, the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee, and the
Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.
He is married to Anne K. Bingaman, a longtime New Mexico
attorney, and they have a son John.
Farewell to the Senate
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, in 1981, in his first
inaugural address, President Reagan said, ``Government is
not the solution to our problem; government is the
problem.''
I came to the Senate 2 years later in 1983 with the firm
belief that in most cases his statement was wrong. I
believed then and I believe now that the Federal
Government can be a constructive force for good; in
protecting and maintaining the civil liberties of all
Americans, in maintaining and strengthening our economy,
in protecting our environment, and in helping Americans
live productive and fulfilling lives.
As I look back over the last 30 years, many of the
arguments that have consumed our time at the Senate,
whether on questions of spending or taxes or regulation or
fiscal policy, those questions have divided between those
who saw government as the problem and those who believed
it could and should be a constructive force for helping
the American people deal with problems. I consider myself
firmly in the second camp. In each of the major areas of
national concern, I would like to be able to report
progress for the country since I arrived in the Senate.
Unfortunately, the record of progress is not so clear. In
many areas, we have made progress, but there are also
instances where we have lost more ground than we have
gained. As issues continue to be reconsidered, I am
reminded of the well-known statement that ``success is
never permanent in Washington.''
With regard to our Nation's security from foreign
aggression, the end of the cold war and the collapse of
the Soviet Union were clearly the most positive
developments we have seen in the last 30 years. If the end
of the cold war was the most positive national security
development I witnessed since coming to the Senate, the
invasion of Iraq to bring about regime change in that
country was the biggest national security blunder. That
blunder cost our Nation dearly in service men and women
killed and injured and in resources that should have been
used to strengthen our economy here at home. Last month, I
was stopped by a woman from northern New Mexico who
thanked me for my service in the Senate and particularly
for my vote against granting President Bush the authority
to take our country into that war.
The Nation's fiscal policy is very much the focus of the
Senate's attention during these final weeks of the 112th
Congress. On this issue, again, we have made one step
forward during the time I have been in the Senate, but,
unfortunately, we have taken two steps back. I arrived in
the Senate in January 1983, a period of large deficits
compared to anything the country had experienced for
several decades. Those large deficits grew and persisted
through the Reagan Presidency.
In 1990, a democratically controlled Congress and
President George H.W. Bush made a significant step
forward, reining in those deficits with the enactment of
the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of that year, 1990.
That law created the statutory paygo requirement. It also
increased marginal rates for the wealthiest Americans, and
I was proud to support the measure. In 1993, another major
step was taken when, at the urging of President Clinton,
Congress enacted the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
that year, 1993. Again, that measure both raised taxes and
constrained spending. It was denounced by many in the
Senate as sure to throw the economy into recession. In
fact, the opposite occurred, and the economy prospered. As
a result of these policy changes and the strong economy of
the 1990s, we enjoyed a period of balanced budgets and
even surpluses in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001.
Unfortunately, those surpluses were not to continue.
President George W. Bush urged Congress to cut taxes and
Congress was all too willing to oblige, and although I
didn't support the 2001 or 2003 tax cuts, they were
passed. At about the same time we were cutting taxes more
than we could afford, we were also going to war in
Afghanistan and in Iraq and adding a new drug benefit to
Medicare. No provision was made to raise revenue or cut
spending elsewhere to pay for any of these mammoth
undertakings. Of course, the cost of health care, both the
cost to government and to families and businesses who
purchased private insurance, continued to grow at too
rapid a pace. So the result was a return to large deficits
and, of course, those large deficits grew substantially
larger because of the recession that began in December
2007.
Today, we are trying to strengthen our economy while at
the same time trying to reduce projected deficits. That
long-term deficit reduction will, once again, require
higher taxes as well as new constraints on spending, and I
hope that even in these final days of this 112th Congress,
we can reach agreement to proceed.
As regards health care, in the long-standing fight to
provide Americans with access to affordable health care,
we have seen significant progress. In 1997 we enacted the
Children's Health Insurance Program which resulted in
nearly 8 million American children obtaining access to
health care. Of course, in 2010 we adopted the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act. This unfairly maligned
legislation has the promise of moving us much closer to
the goal of universal health care, and I am proud to have
worked with my colleagues in the writing of that
legislation and in seeing it enacted. Now that the recent
election is behind us, I hope the efforts to repeal that
legislation are at an end. I also hope the two parties can
find ways to improve the legislation with a particular
focus on better controlling the growth and the cost of
health care.
In addressing the various energy challenges facing the
country, again, there is progress to report. In 2005 and
2007 Congress enacted major energy bills. Those bills
moved us toward a better and more comprehensive national
energy policy. Those bills promoted an adequate and more
diverse supply of energy. They increased the efficiency
and effectiveness of how we use energy in our economy.
They promoted strong market reforms and consumer
protections for electricity, and they struck a balance
between meeting our energy goals and lessening
environmental impacts of energy, including overall
greenhouse gas emissions. As a result of that balanced
approach, we have arrested what had been an increasing
dependence on foreign oil. Coupled with technological
advances that have opened new sources of supply, we are
headed to greater levels of energy independence than we
had thought possible even as recently as 7 years ago.
The bipartisan consensus that allowed us to enact those
bills has, unfortunately, eluded us in the current
Congress. I hope in future Congresses there will reemerge
a recognition that climate change is a reality and that
our policies to meet our energy needs must also deal
responsibly with environmental issues, including the
damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
As regards our Nation's policy on education, the good
news is we seem to have moved past the period where the
Republican nominee for President announced a commitment to
eliminating the Federal Department of Education. President
Clinton deserves great credit for making the support,
particularly of higher education, a priority of his
Presidency. President George W. Bush deserves credit for
making a serious effort to reform and improve elementary
and secondary education. Although that effort to improve
elementary and secondary education has not succeeded as
many of us who supported it had hoped, I remain persuaded
the Federal Government needs to persist in trying to play
a constructive role in improving education in this
country.
The States and local school districts deserve great
credit for developing and adopting the Common Core
Standards, and I hope future Congresses will strongly
support the steps and the funding needed to upgrade
student performance by implementing those standards.
President Obama and his administration have demonstrated
their strong commitment to this goal.
In addition to these areas of concern I have mentioned,
we have seen some progress in maintaining and advancing
the science and engineering enterprise in this country. As
the cold war came to an end, we successfully found ways to
better integrate the strengths of our defense laboratories
into the civilian economy through technology transfer and
partnering. We have also seen some important increases in
funding for research, particularly in support of the life
sciences, and that growth has stagnated in recent years.
It needs to continue and be replenished, but as we
continue that support, we must also recognize the need to
do more to support research and development in the
physical sciences and in engineering.
One significant advance I was proud to support was the
establishment of ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy within the Department of Energy. That effort
to identify breakthrough science and engineering
initiatives to meet our energy challenges holds great
promise for our Nation and for the entire world.
We have also seen progress in providing increased
protection for public lands. One particular bill in that
area was the omnibus public lands bill that was passed in
2009. It added wilderness protection to over 2 million
acres, designated 1,100 miles of wild and scenic rivers,
and added more than 2,800 miles for the national trail
system. I was proud to be part of the effort to enact that
legislation.
Finally, I will make a few comments on the way we in the
Congress conduct our own business. Any fair assessment has
to conclude that in this area, we have lost ground in the
last two decades. Public opinion of the performance of
Congress is at an alltime low and it is not hard to see
why. I will mention three obvious ways in which the
functioning of Congress has worsened.
First is the willingness of some in Congress to shut
down the government. In 1995, we saw the leadership of the
House of Representatives demonstrate that they consider
refusing to fund the government as an acceptable
bargaining ploy in their efforts to prevail in disputes
with President Clinton and Democrats on spending issues.
Since 1995, that threat to withhold appropriations has
been made several more times. As we saw then, shutting
down the government is costly, it is wasteful, and it is
harmful to Americans. I hope this irresponsible threat
will soon be viewed as unacceptable.
A second way the malfunctioning of Congress became clear
was when in August 2011--just less than 18 months ago--the
Republican leadership in Congress determined that another
tool at their disposal was the ability to refuse to
increase the debt ceiling. By doing so, they could deny
the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to borrow
money to meet the obligations the government had already
undertaken. To my knowledge, this was the first time the
congressional leadership of one of our major parties had
stated their willingness to see our Nation default on its
debt.
This threat to force a default on the obligations of the
Federal Government resulted in the sequester of government
spending, which is scheduled to begin January 1. It also
resulted in a downgrading of U.S. debt by one of the
leading credit rating agencies.
We now hear renewed threats to use this so-called
leverage as a way to demand cuts in Medicare and in Social
Security. Once again, I believe this is an irresponsible
action I hope Congress will get beyond.
Of course, a third way in which the functioning of the
Senate--not the full Congress but the Senate--has worsened
is the abuse of Senate rules allowing unlimited debate or
filibuster. As the Senate currently operates, a threat of
filibuster is used routinely to obstruct the Senate from
doing its business, even when the issue before the Senate
is relatively uncontroversial. Many times following a
delay caused by obstruction, an overwhelming number of
Senators will vote for the legislation or the nomination
which the Senate has been delayed in considering. In the
next Congress, I strongly encourage my colleagues to make
the necessary changes in Senate rules to limit the ability
of one or a few Senators to obstruct the Senate from doing
its regular business. My colleague Senator Udall of New
Mexico is on the floor with me. He has been a leader in
this effort to get these rules changed, and I commend him
for that.
So the record of our progress both as a country and as a
Congress over the last 30 years has been mixed. There is
progress to report. I have mentioned some of that. There
are also many missteps and failures we need to
acknowledge.
My conclusion remains that many of our challenges as a
nation can only be met with the help of a strong and
effective national government. There are times when the
actions of the government are more a problem than a
solution, but there are many more occasions where
enlightened action by the government is important and even
essential.
I consider it an honor and a privilege to have
represented the people of New Mexico in the Senate for the
last 30 years. I thank the people of my State for their
confidence in electing me and supporting me during the
time I have served here. I thank the very capable and
committed men and women who have worked on my staff, both
in Washington and in New Mexico, during these 30 years. I
thank all my colleagues here in the Senate for their
friendship and help to me during this period. Of course, I
thank my wife Anne and our son John and his wife Marlene
for their support that has allowed me to serve in the
Senate.
To all my friends and colleagues who will be here in the
next Congress and in future Congresses, I hope you can
find the common ground necessary for our country to
effectively move forward and meet its challenges. The
endeavor is a worthy one, and I wish you every success.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
JEFF BINGAMAN
Proceedings in the Senate
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to comment about
some wonderful men in the Senate who are retiring on both
sides of the aisle. Earlier today I spoke about my deep
affection and sorry-to-see-go friends Olympia Snowe and
Kay Bailey Hutchison, but I want to rise as the dean of
the women in the Senate to say some very special words
about very special men on both sides of the aisle. Because
when I came to the Senate, it was only Nancy Kassebaum and
me, and yet we worked on so many issues together. There
are really wonderful men here who supported me, supported
our issues, but really stood up for those States and their
communities. ...
I want to say goodbye to our friend Jeff Bingaman of New
Mexico, someone who has also brought intellectual rigor, a
lawyer's insistence on thoroughness, and a real commitment
to people. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work
with him on the HELP Committee, especially on the
Affordable Care Act. I was proud to support all that he
did, particularly in developing and focusing on the health
workforce for the future.
I knew I could count on Jeff in the committee and on the
floor as one of those men whom I refer to as a Galahad,
where men of quality always supported us women as we
sought equality. Our initiatives to end discrimination
against women in health care and in the workplace were
some of our proudest achievements in working together. ...
I wanted to be sure that the day would not end without
my acknowledging these wonderful people who have given a
big part of their lives to making this country a better
place. I want to, in the most heartfelt way--I am so sorry
we did not have a bipartisan dinner or party to be able to
express this. I would have liked to have been in the same
room, breaking bread with them, in order to be able to
tell them how much we appreciate them, across party lines,
across those lines that ordinarily divide us. They came
from different parts of the country, they arrived in the
Senate with different objectives, they will leave under
different circumstances. But I want to again let them know
that each and every one of them had a positive impact on
me and I think a wonderful impact on the future of this
country. So I wish them well. God bless and Godspeed.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I rise today
with a difficult task: to honor a great Senator and a
great friend, Senator Jeff Bingaman.
This is difficult for two reasons. First, Senator
Bingaman is not one to call attention to himself, and,
second, he does so as briefly as possible. On both
counts--let me just say now--I am going to fall short.
Jeff is that rare combination of character--brilliant
and humble. For Jeff, it is about the work, not about his
own ego, not about a monument to himself. For three
decades in the U.S. Senate he has been making a difference
for the American people and for our home State of New
Mexico.
Public service is a noble profession--when it isn't
swamped by money, when it isn't held hostage to
hyperpartisanship. Jeff is the best example I know of the
nobility of politics. The origin of the word ``noble'' is
``nobilis''--well known--from the Latin ``noscere'' to
come to know. Jeff, who is a scholar, probably knows that.
I had to look it up. But, knowing, making sense of the
world, using that knowledge to make the world a better
place, that is what public service is supposed to do, and
that is what Jeff Bingaman does.
By Washington standards, Jeff is a man of few words.
When he comes to this floor to speak, we listen. If I am
at my desk in my office, I will turn up the television, I
will stop what I am doing, because I know that he will say
something insightful, something worth knowing, something
worth thinking about.
When Jeff came to the Senate 30 years ago, this was a
different place. There was a new President. There was a
fierce battle of ideas, of ideology, of where the country
needed to go. Principles did not matter any less then than
they do now. But folks worked together. They clashed, but
they also compromised.
We all know what has happened since then. Washington has
become more and more polarized. But, time and again, Jeff
Bingaman has been a voice of reason, of doing what is best
for our country--no grandstanding, just hard work, paying
attention to details, getting problems solved, getting the
job done. He is an inspiring role model.
In his own quiet way, Jeff does something essential: He
challenges us to think a little harder, look farther down
the road, see how we can move our country forward, not
just today, but far into the future. He doesn't look for
the limelight. He looks for solutions. And his
accomplishments make for a very long list.
He has been a truly great chairman of the Energy and
Natural Resources Committee. He has done so much to
protect our natural resources, to build a clean energy
economy, for jobs, for the environment. I was proud to
work with Jeff on the first renewable electricity standard
in Congress. He led the Senate bill, and I led the House
bill. As always, I learned from his example: steady,
focused, and reasonable.
We will continue to carry the torch on renewable and
clean energy standards in Congress, following in his
footsteps. Today, we can be proud that 30 States--
including New Mexico--have enforceable renewable
standards. Together, these cover the large majority of the
U.S. population.
Jeff also shepherded the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the
first comprehensive energy bill in 13 years. A ``do it
all'' energy bill that covered renewables, nuclear, clean
coal, and oil and gas.
Two years later, he took the lead in the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007. That bill was an
even more ambitious effort than 2005. As the National
Journal reported, it was ``the most sweeping energy
efficiency legislation ever put into law.''
On both of these bills, Jeff worked in a commendable,
bipartisan fashion with Senator Domenici, a Republican
from New Mexico. He also achieved these compromise bills
with a Republican House in 2005, a Democratic House in
2007, and both were signed into law by Republican
President George W. Bush.
The public lands package of 2009 was another great
achievement. Jeff reached across the aisle for compromise
and protected 2 million acres in 9 States as new
wilderness areas, and more than 1,000 miles of rivers and
streams--one of the greatest land protection laws ever. It
will benefit generations to come, and it is part of the
legacy of Jeff Bingaman.
We are spending time these days debating the failings of
the Senate, the gridlock, the partisanship. In contrast,
Jeff's committee has been a leading light of cooperation
and compromise. When other committees lost their
bipartisan way, the Energy Committee kept steady. I
believe the standard he set will shape future energy and
natural resources policy in years to come. I hope it
guides us next year.
When this body has looked for answers, so often it has
turned to Jeff. No surprise that he was one of the Gang of
6 to negotiate health care reform. When real solutions are
on the agenda, Jeff will have a seat at the table.
Jeff was also one of the key negotiators in the No Child
Left Behind Act, and he pushed for the Technology for
Education Act and the America COMPETES Act--raising
standards for all students, increasing opportunity for all
Americans. Because he knows that investments in education
and technology and training are crucial, crucial for the
jobs of the future, crucial for our country.
Education, health care, jobs, energy, and the
environment--Jeff has been a leader in all these areas.
What comes through over and over is he never forgets the
people who brought him here. He never forgets that what we
do here is about families, is about communities, is about
making a better future for our children and grandchildren.
That is what drives him, and that is what has made him
such a great Senator.
One of the things I admire most about Jeff Bingaman is
his courage. You know where he stands, and he is not
afraid to go against the current. He was 1 of 23 Senators
who voted against war with Iraq. As he said later, ``I
think that was the right vote, but it was not a popular
vote.''
I have valued his counsel on many occasions. It has been
an honor to serve with him. He is going to be missed--not
just for his good humor, not just for his friendship, but,
more important, for his character and wisdom. On both
sides of the aisle, his absence will be felt.
With typical humility, Jeff would be the first to say he
has a great staff, and he does. When I first came to
Congress, on the House side, Jeff and his staff reached
out to me, and to my staff, always available to help,
always ready to work together, to try and do what is best
for our State and our Nation.
Finally, I know Jeff would also say he could not have
accomplished so much without the support of his amazing
wife Anne. They met at Stanford Law School, and have
walked side by side, equal partners, ever since. Anne
Bingaman is as remarkable as her husband, and he would
very likely insist more so.
My dad once said that the measure of someone isn't about
winning elections or awards or honors. It is what the
people who know you best think about you. For those of us
who know Jeff Bingaman, he is the real deal.
Jeff Bingaman has lived a life of service--substantial,
enduring, noble service. I have no doubt that though he is
leaving the Senate, he will find other ways to serve, and
New Mexico and our Nation will be the better for it.
Jeff, thank you. Thank you for your leadership, for your
friendship, and for your always wise counsel. As you and
Anne begin a new chapter in your lives, Jill and I wish
you the very best.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, let me thank my colleague,
Senator Udall, for his overly generous comments and
indicate that 30 or 40 years from now when he retires from
the Senate, I will be glad to make similar comments about
his service. I could make similar comments about his
service already based on the time he has served our State
as attorney general and in the Congress and now in the
Senate, but he does a tremendous job for New Mexico and
for the entire country here, and it is an honor for me to
get to serve with him. This will be 4 years that we will
have completed as the two Senators from New Mexico, and it
has been a great pleasure for me to have a good friend and
a very capable Senator to work with. So I again appreciate
the overly generous comments.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the
roll.
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam President, I ask
unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be
rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Shaheen). Without objection,
it is so ordered.
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam President, I spoke about
Senator Bingaman. I know the Presiding Officer is on his
committee and she feels the same way about him and all the
work he has done. It is going to be a sad day for all of
us when he exits at the end of this year, but he is a
pretty remarkable leader.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my
colleague from New Mexico, Senator Jeff Bingaman, who is
retiring from the Senate at the end of this year. Senator
Bingaman has been a strong voice for the people of New
Mexico, first as their attorney general and then during 30
years of service in the Senate. He has brought a keen
intellect and a commonsense perspective to the Senate that
should make the people of New Mexico proud. He has worked
to build consensus across party lines to help strengthen
our Nation.
Senator Bingaman and I serve together on the Finance
Committee, and we also worked together on the Energy and
Natural Resources Committee during my first term in the
Senate. I greatly admire the thoughtfulness he applies to
every issue. Throughout his career, he has focused
intently on finding solutions to the challenges facing our
country.
For example, in 2009 I worked closely with him and other
colleagues on the Finance Committee in crafting the health
care reform bill that was signed into law as the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act. He was a key author of
that legislation, which has already improved millions of
people's lives.
Senator Bingaman has brought a tremendous breadth of
knowledge to his chairmanship of the Energy and Natural
Resources Committee. He has long understood the need to
reduce our Nation's dependence on foreign energy and has
worked diligently to push Congress to create a national
energy policy suited to the 21st century. That includes
the Energy Independence and Security Act, which helped put
us on the right path by improving gas mileage in the
vehicles Americans drive, increasing production of
domestic biofuels, and boosting energy efficiency in homes
and businesses across our country.
Senator Bingaman also understands the importance of
education as a source of opportunity to our people and a
key investment in the ongoing prosperity of our country.
As a member of the Senate Health Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee, Senator Bingaman has worked to advance
teacher training and student technological literacy, and
boost graduation rates at underperforming schools. He also
helped pass legislation that increases student aid and
caps Federal student loan payments to assist students
struggling with excessive debt.
Senator Bingaman has been an outstanding public servant
for the people of New Mexico and our Nation. I will miss
having him as a colleague in the Senate, but I also know
that his wife Anne will be excited to have him back home.
I wish him happiness and success in whatever he chooses to
do in the next chapter of his life.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, in these closing days of the
112th Congress, the Senate is saying farewell to one of
our most popular and respected Members, Senator Jeff
Bingaman of New Mexico.
When Jeff came to this body 30 years ago, he had already
led a life of accomplishment. Raised in smalltown New
Mexico, Silver City, he was an Eagle Scout. He graduated
from Harvard College and Stanford Law School, where he met
his future wife Anne. While at Stanford, he worked on
Senator Robert F. Kennedy's campaign for President. At the
age of 35, he was elected New Mexico attorney general in
1978. Four years later, at the age of 39, he was elected
to the U.S. Senate.
During his three decades in this body, Jeff Bingaman has
been a classic workhorse Senator as opposed to being a
show horse Senator. He is truly remarkable and distinctive
among Senators for his willingness to shun the limelight
and share the credit in order to get important work done
for his State and for his country.
Senator Bingaman has been a much-valued colleague of
mine on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, but he has really made his mark in the Senate--
a lasting mark--in his role as chair of the Energy and
Natural Resources Committee. As chair and also at times
ranking member of that committee, he has played a leading
role in shaping energy policy for our Nation, authoring
bipartisan legislation promoting a balanced energy
portfolio encompassing all energy sources.
Senator Bingaman worked closely with his New Mexico
colleague, Senator Pete Domenici, to pass the landmark
2005 Energy Policy Act, signed into law by President
George W. Bush. This was signed, I might add,
appropriately at Sandia National Laboratories in
Albuquerque, NM. That comprehensive law established
groundbreaking policies on many fronts, including a
renewable fuels standard for biofuels, support for
alternative vehicles, loan guarantees for new energy
technologies that reduce greenhouse gases, establishment
of policies to upgrade the electrical grid, plus a whole
range of measures to promote energy efficiency.
In 2007 he again collaborated with Senator Domenici in
securing passage of the Energy Independence and Security
Act. This act included an ambitious increase in vehicle
fuel efficiency standards--from 25 miles per gallon to 35
miles per gallon by the year 2020--as well as
significantly greater commitments to the use of biofuels.
These two provisions are largely responsible for the
significant decrease in oil imports that we have seen over
the past several years.
More broadly, Senator Bingaman has played a critical
role in ensuring the vitality of America's energy research
and development community, championing energy programs at
all levels, including universities, national laboratories,
and in private industry.
I can't close without mentioning a great living legacy
of the Senator from New Mexico: his 2009 public lands
management bill that set aside more than 2 million acres
in 9 States as protected wilderness, including a 5,300-
acre national monument to protect Paleozoic fossils
located north of Los Cruces, NM. I can say that Senator
Bingaman stands in line with those great heroes of America
who set aside public lands for all future generations,
people such as Theodore Roosevelt. Senator Bingaman takes
his rightful place there.
For the last three decades in this body, Senator
Bingaman has been a tireless advocate for the people of
New Mexico and a determined champion of the future of
clean and renewable energy for the United States. He has
been an outstanding Senator and a wonderful friend. I join
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in wishing
Jeff and Anne the very best in the years ahead.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, over his time in this body,
Jeff Bingaman has worn many hats: champion of education,
expert on energy policy, steward of our Nation's nuclear
arsenal, thoughtful voice on national security.
He has approached each of these varied responsibilities
with an attitude aimed not at attention-grabbing or point
scoring, but at practical, fact-driven problem solving. In
the accurate description of the Washington Post,
``Bingaman isn't one to grab the spotlight, but this six-
term senator's logical, cerebral approach tends to get
things one.''
He has indeed gotten things done, for the people of New
Mexico first and foremost, but his practical approach has
benefited Americans from every State. I know first hand
that the people of Michigan have benefited from his
leadership.
I have worked closely over the years with Senator
Bingaman to preserve programs that are vital to America's
manufacturing sector, the heart of my State's economy. His
support for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Program and the Technology Innovation Program has made a
major difference in the ability of American manufacturers
to research and develop new technologies, to increase
efficiency, to improve supply chains and to out-innovate
our overseas competitors.
The people of Michigan also have benefited from Senator
Bingaman's leadership of the Energy and Natural Resources
Committee. He worked with me to enact legislation that has
brought significant improvements to Michigan parks and
recreational lands. With Senator Bingaman's assistance, we
have established the River Raisin National Battlefield
Park, preserving the site of one of the most important
battles of the War of 1812; made major progress toward
completion of the North Country National Scenic Trail;
enhanced wilderness protection at Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore; and made many improvements at Keweenaw National
Historical Park. So, he has played a major role in helping
preserve and protect numerous jewels of our State's rich
history, culture, and natural beauty.
From his post on Energy and Natural Resources, Senator
Bingaman has been one of our Nation's most influential
voices on energy, an issue that affects nearly every
aspect of economic and environmental policy. He has worked
with skill, intelligence, and determination to find
practical, bipartisan solutions in an issue area too often
dominated by politics and powerful interests. As we seek
to strengthen our Nation's competitiveness, his advocacy
on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other
important topics will yield important advantages.
While we have not had the benefit of his service in this
Congress, Senator Bingaman served in the past with
distinction on the Armed Services Committee. In his
committee tenure he chaired the Emerging Threats and
Capabilities and Strategic Forces Subcommittees. His deep
knowledge of science and technology issues was of great
value in committee deliberations, in particular during the
difficult debate over the Bush administration's
determination to invade Iraq. His expertise on energy and
nuclear issues gave heft to his skepticism over claims
that Iraq had sought to acquire uranium from Niger, claims
that turned out to be false.
As the son of two educators, it only makes sense that
Senator Bingaman would be careful, detail-oriented, and
reliant on facts rather than assumptions. It's no wonder
that in addition to his work on energy, defense, and
natural resources, he has been one of the Senate's most
consistent and effective advocates for quality education.
On all of these issues, and so many others, Jeff
Bingaman has sought solutions and consensus rather than
attention and division. His careful, deliberate style, his
focus on facts, and his determination to find practical
answers to difficult challenges have been of enormous
value to the Senate, to the people of New Mexico, and to
the Nation. They will be missed in the Senate, and so will
he. I wish Jeff and Anne all the best as they move on from
the Senate.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes
today to honor my colleague, the senior Senator from New
Mexico, Jeff Bingaman, as he retires from a long career of
service to our country.
For 30 years Senator Bingaman has been a dedicated
representative of the people of New Mexico, but for 26 of
those years he was the junior Senator from New Mexico. The
only person I know of who was a junior Senator longer than
Senator Bingaman was Fritz Hollings. He was a junior
Senator for many decades to Strom Thurmond. But 26 years
as a junior Senator still makes you a fairly senior
Senator. Jeff served alongside Senator Pete Domenici, the
longest serving Senator in New Mexico's history. Until
2009 he was the most senior junior Senator.
Jeff Bingaman has never been one to get hung up on
titles and credits. If there was ever a conscience of this
body, it is Jeff Bingaman, a man who has been called by
others, including Byron Dorgan, a workhorse. That is
really true. For three decades he has quietly but
diligently fought for the people of New Mexico and this
country.
American industrialist Henry Kaiser once gave this bit
of advice: ``When your work speaks for itself, don't
interrupt.'' That is Jeff Bingaman. That could have been
written for Jeff Bingaman by Henry Kaiser. That has been
Jeff Bingaman's motto for years. He is not one for flashy
press conferences. Most of the time he is too busy.
Jeff learned humility in the small town of Silver City,
NM, where he grew up. His father was a professor and his
mom a teacher, and they instilled in him a love and
appreciation for education--and that is an understatement.
He got his bachelor's degree from Harvard and his law
degree from Stanford. Those are two of the finest
educational institutions in the world, and he has a degree
from both of them, Harvard and Stanford.
At Stanford, where he was going to law school, he met
his wonderful wife Anne. I have such warmth for this
woman. We have traveled together. I can remember trips we
took on Senate codels; she was always the life of the
party. She is a great match for Jeff--Jeff being quiet,
subdued; Anne, not always so. I love them both. Anne is a
political powerhouse in her own right. She served 3 years
as head of the Antitrust Division of the Department of
Justice under President Bill Clinton.
After they finished their law degrees, Jeff and Anne
returned to New Mexico, and they both entered the private
practice of law. There, Jeff spent 6 years in the Army
Reserves, and at that time he and Anne had their son John.
Senator Bingaman served a year as assistant attorney
general before being elected attorney general of New
Mexico in 1978. Four years later he was elected to the
U.S. Senate.
As time evolves here, you see it in the face of our
children. I can remember that when I first came to this
body, Jeff had already been here 4 years. We had our
Senate retreats, and there was little John, and I watched
him grow as we did the retreats. I saw him just a short
time ago, this handsome young man, now working on his own
in New York in a very important job.
In addition to being a committed advocate for the people
of New Mexico, Jeff has been a distinguished chairman of
the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As chairman,
he has pushed for solutions to perhaps the greatest crisis
of our time: global climate change. He has run into brick
walls many times. As the Presiding Officer knows, it has
been difficult to get much done. But it is not because
Jeff Bingaman hasn't tried. I am so disappointed that Jeff
is leaving that committee with so much unfinished work.
Certain Senators have held up hundreds of bills in that
committee. What a shame. But that is what has happened.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005--passed thanks to Senator
Bingaman's leadership--changed the Federal Government's
role in energy policy. It created energy efficiency and
renewable tax credits that have grown the crucial green
energy industry. He led that charge. Two years later Jeff
guided Congress to raise vehicle fuel efficiency standards
for the first time in 32 years.
Senator Bingaman also serves on the Finance Committee.
He is tireless there, whether working on ObamaCare--and he
was instrumental in the progress of that, working with
Senator Baucus, Senator Conrad, and others. He has also
served on the Joint Economic Committee. He has been a
valued Democratic Member of this body. In the caucus, he
has been terrific.
He has been someone I can call upon to ask for advice.
Over the years we have served together, he didn't come and
visit with me often, but when Jeff Bingaman wanted to see
me, I knew immediately that he had thought through and
knew what he wanted to talk about and knew what he wanted
me to help him with. I think so much of him, I admire him,
and I appreciate him. I will always remember this good man
and the work he has done. I am sorry to see this
brilliant, hard-working leader depart this body.
When Jeff announced his retirement a couple years ago,
this is what he said:
It is not easy to get elected to the Senate, and it is
not easy to decide to leave the Senate. There is important
work that remains to be done. That is true today, and it
will be the case at the end of this Congress. It will be
true at the end of every future Congress as well.
Again, he hit the mark: There is plenty of important
work left to be done. I am only sorry he won't be here to
help us do that work.
I congratulate Senator Bingaman and his wife Anne on
their long, productive careers. I wish them the very best
in the years to come.
Mr. REED. Madam President, at this time, I wish to take
a few minutes to salute my colleagues who are retiring at
the end of this year with the conclusion of the 112th
Congress: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New
Mexico, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Kent Conrad of North
Dakota, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Kay Bailey Hutchison
of Texas, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jon Kyl of Arizona,
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Lugar of Indiana,
Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Jim
Webb of Virginia. They have all worked ceaselessly to give
their constituents the best representation and give the
country the benefit of their views, their wisdom, and
their experience. They are men and women who are committed
to the Nation, and they have every day in different ways
contributed to this Senate and to our great country.
I wish to thank them personally for their service, and,
in so many cases, their personal kindness to me; for
listening to my points and for, together, hopefully,
serving this Senate and this Nation in a more positive and
progressive way.
In particular, let me say a few words about some of the
Members with whom I have had the privilege to work more
closely. ...
Jeff Bingaman has distinguished himself through his work
on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to improve
our Nation's energy policy, particularly improving our
energy efficiency. He has the vision and knowledge which
he has displayed so many times to deal with the difficult
issues that face us with respect to the appropriate use of
energy.
He has also focused on some of the greatest challenges
facing our educational system, including preventing
dropouts and promoting the use of education technology.
...
I could go on with all of my colleagues, just thanking
them for their friendship, for their camaraderie, and for
their commitment to the Nation and the Senate. As they
depart, they have left an extraordinary legacy. Now it is
our responsibility to carry on in so many different ways,
and I hope we measure up to what they have done. If we do,
then we can go forward confidently.
With that, I yield the floor.
Mr. COONS. ... There are so many other Senators I want
to speak about today [besides Daniel Inouye], but let me
turn to a few, if I might, and give some insight for the
folks who only see Members of this Chamber on cable TV
shows or in the give-and-take of election season or who
only know them as the cutout and caricatures that the
public thinks of as Senators. If there is a common thread
between them, it is that they share that loyalty, work
ethic, and humility that so characterized Senator Inouye
in his decades here. ...
I have had the honor to serve these past 2 years with
Senator Bingaman of New Mexico, chairman of the Energy
Committee. He is one of the kindest, smartest, gentlest
people I have ever met. He has been a pleasure to work
with on the Energy and Natural Resource Committee.
I remember we were both speaking at a conference on
advanced energy research last year out at National Harbor.
Thousands of scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs were
there. I pulled up in front of the massive convention
hall, and right out in front was a Prius with New Mexico
plates. Sure enough, Chairman Jeff Bingaman jumped out of
the driver's seat with no staff.
Here was the chairman of the Energy Committee and a
Senator for nearly 30 years driving himself to a major
policy speech in his Prius. He practiced what he preached
as he prepared to deliver an important speech in a moment
that showed his humility.
As unassuming a man as Senator Bingaman is, when he
speaks, you listen. He is living proof that the value of
one's words can and should exceed their volume. On that
day at National Harbor, Senator Bingaman delivered a
message similar to one he had given a decade earlier in a
report entitled ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.''
Senator Bingaman saw that this country was falling behind
in the race for innovation and investment in research and
education. These are things that lay the foundation for
long-term competitiveness. This vision and concern haunted
him, so he teamed up with our great colleague from
Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, and challenged the National
Academy of Sciences to study this trend and offer
recommendations. From that challenge, we got the seminal
study, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.''
It asked what it would take for America to continue to
lead in innovation. That led to the America COMPETES Act
and the creation of ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects
Agency for Energy. The very conference at which we had
been speaking was the ARPA-E annual conference. Both of
these important accomplishments played vital roles in our
future competitiveness. They are focused on nurturing
innovation and creating a political system where
political, scientific, and economic forces work together
and not against each other.
That is Jeff Bingaman. That is his sweeping, long-range
vision, and one we should all heed. His commitment to
thoughtful and forward-looking service on our Nation's
long-term competitiveness will be sorely missed. But even
more, many of us will miss his reserved, dignified
passion. ...
So here we are, 5 days before my family celebrates
Christmas and 12 days before the new year and the
beginning of the so-called fiscal cliff. Our politics have
paralyzed this Chamber and this town. But what the example
of all of these remarkable Senators has shown us, what it
has taught me is that we can still be better than our
politics.
The humanity of this place, too often shoved aside by
the politics of the moment, shows us that we can do
better. One by one, these Senators, in delivering their
farewell addresses to this Chamber, stood at their desks
and each in turn urged us to find a way to return to the
days when Senators knew each other and worked together.
What will it take to get us to that point again--a
horrific tragedy in an elementary school, a dangerous
economic cliff, some devastating attack, a cyberassault on
America?
Our retiring colleagues are each telling us, each in
turn, that it is not too late to restore the humanity of
this Chamber and make a positive difference in the lives
of all we serve. Will we heed their call? I hope and pray
we will because we can do better. We must do better. And
in the spirit of each of these departing colleagues, I
will do my level best. I hope we all can commit to doing
the same.
Thank you, and I yield the floor.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, at the close of each session
of Congress, the Senate has traditionally taken a moment
to express our appreciation for the service those who are
retiring have provided to the people of their home State
and our Nation. It gives us an opportunity to acknowledge
the contributions that every Senator makes to the day-to-
day operations of the Congress and the work they have been
a part of as we have worked together to craft the laws
that govern the Nation.
Over the years I have learned a great deal about how the
Senate works and how to be an effective representative for
the people of my home State from one of the best, Jeff
Bingaman. He has compiled quite a record that he can be
very proud of, and he has done it quietly, almost behind
the scenes as he has shown himself to be a workhorse and
not a show horse.
For those of us from the West, that is quite a
compliment. In a nutshell, it means that someone is a lot
more concerned with getting results than in getting the
credit. It proves the old saying that you can get just
about anything done if you don't care who gets the credit
for it.
When I first arrived in the Senate, I had always
believed in the importance of getting acquainted with how
things work by taking a close look at how the people who
were getting the results that I was equally committed to
achieving were doing it. Using that as my standard, one
Senator who caught my attention quickly was Jeff Bingaman.
Jeff is a fellow Westerner and he knows and understands
the issues that are so important to the people back home.
As I watched him in action, I could quickly see why he was
a success story here. He had a reputation for his ability
to work with both sides of the aisle to get the results
the people of his home State had sent him here to achieve.
He had an understanding of the ramifications of the
legislation we were working on that was second to none.
Taken together, all of that had helped to make him an
important ally in any legislative battle that needed to be
won.
As I got to know him, I looked to him for his leadership
on the issues that were on the minds of the people back
home in Wyoming. He was taking the lead on a number of
them as he worked to increase the awareness of our
colleagues about matters like open spaces, water, and the
future of our energy industry.
Over the years, Jeff has been a mentor to me. I have
learned a great deal from him from our work together on
Western issues and from our service on the task groups we
both worked on. Jeff has an ability to summarize a
difficult issue simply so that it can be understood on a
number of levels by those of us who come from backgrounds
that are quite different from Jeff's and all our Western
colleagues. He was then able to propose commonsense
solutions that not only made sense to our fellow Senators,
but were also able to obtain the support they needed to be
considered and passed by the Senate.
That would have never been possible if not for one of
Jeff's great gifts--his ability to find common ground in
the midst of some sharp disagreements. He knows how to
take the views of all concerned into account and then
develop a plan of action taking a variety of viewpoints
into consideration. Somehow he had a knack for finding a
way to make it all work.
None of that should have surprised us. After all, Jeff
has one credential on his resume that not everyone has the
persistence and determination to acquire. Jeff was active
in Boy Scouts at a young age and with a lot of hard work
and determined effort, he was able to reach the rank of
Eagle.
Some people might be surprised that I mention Jeff's
Eagle, a great achievement that he was able to attain so
many years ago. I have found that the Eagle speaks volumes
about the strength of someone's character as they grew up.
It proves that they were focused on more important
things--like setting goals and then planning a course of
action to reach them--one by one. There is no more
valuable skill to have in the pursuit of a career and the
development of a life than that.
During his service in the Senate, Jeff has compiled a
record of which he can be very proud--as proud as the
people of New Mexico are proud of him. That is why they
kept sending him back to the Senate. It is also why his
record of service will continue to receive the notice it
deserves as the issues he has worked so hard on will have
an impact on the West and the Nation for many years to
come.
I don't know what Jeff's plans are for the future, but I
feel certain we haven't heard the last from him. I hope he
will continue to keep in touch with all of our Western
delegations. I am certain we could all use a little New
Mexico wisdom from time to time on the issues that come
before us that are of such great concern to the West and
rural communities all across the country.
Thank you, Jeff, for your service to New Mexico and to
the United States. We appreciate your willingness to come
to Washington to ensure the concerns of your State were
heard and that they received the attention they deserve.
Thanks most of all for your friendship over the years. I
have learned a great deal from you and about you and I
know the lessons I have learned from you about the Senate
and our committee structure will continue to make me a
more effective advocate for Wyoming and the West. Whatever
the next chapter of your life holds in store, I know you
will give it your best--just as you have done with every
other great adventure in your life.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, born in Texas and raised in
New Mexico, Senator Jeff Bingaman for nearly 30 years has
represented the State he has been proud to call home.
Lawyer, advocate, environmental stalwart, these are just a
few of the terms that can be used to describe Senator
Bingaman.
A longtime public servant, Senator Bingaman has served
his Nation in the Army Reserves, in his State as an
attorney general, and, since 1983, has served the people
of New Mexico in the U.S. Senate. Along the way, he has
earned a reputation for being fair and bipartisan--no
small feat in today's polarized Congress.
Senator Bingaman has been a fierce advocate for the
environment, and has worked hard to expand conservation
and end tax breaks for big oil companies. I was proud to
work with him on legislation to increase the production of
biofuels and to modernize the Federal Government's
approach to protecting the environment. As chairman of the
Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he has
worked tirelessly to advance energy independence, an issue
so important to many, including those in New Mexico.
A supporter of a comprehensive approach to reforming our
immigration system, Senator Bingaman has supported a
responsible and thoughtful approach to protecting our
Nation's borders. Like me, he opposed ill-advised
legislation which was regrettably enacted in 2006 to build
electronic and other forms of surveillance along every
land and maritime border. A Senator of a southern State,
Senator Bingaman opposed the effort to construct a costly
fence along our southern border.
Senator Bingaman has been a force here in Washington,
but he has never lost sight of the needs of the
constituents at home that he represents. He has worked to
secure Federal funds for critical needs in New Mexico, and
for education development and transportation improvements.
Jeff's moderate temperament has led to many successes
both in the Halls of Congress, and in his home State. I
wish him and his wife Anne all the best in retirement.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute
to the Senators who will not be returning when the 113th
Congress commences next month. I have already spoken about
Senator Kyl and about Senator Inouye, one of the truly
great Americans and giants of this institution. At the
time of his death, Senator Inouye was just a few weeks
short of celebrating 50 years of Senate service. Only
Senator Byrd served in this institution longer.
Turnover is a natural occurrence, but it's important to
acknowledge that the Senators who are departing have
served in the Senate for a combined total of 237 years, or
nearly 20 years per Senator, on average. Add Senator
Inouye, and the total is close to 300 years. That service
represents an enormous amount of expertise on issues
ranging from national defense and foreign affairs to the
Federal budget to energy policy. The departing Senators
will also take with them vast institutional knowledge and
bipartisan friendships and working relationships that will
leave a void we will need to fill. ...
Mr. President, Jeff Bingaman is another Senator whose
quiet demeanor belies his tremendous skill and
effectiveness as a legislator. Senator Bingaman and I were
born 2 days apart October 3 and October 5, 1943,
respectively. Both of Senator Bingaman's parents were
teachers, which may help explain his interest and
involvement in educational policy. He graduated from a
public school in a small town in New Mexico and then went
to Harvard for his bachelor of arts degree and Stanford
for his law degree. From 1968 to 1974, he served in the
U.S. Army Reserves and in 1978, he was elected attorney
general of New Mexico. Senator Bingaman was first elected
to the Senate in 1982 and then won reelection four times,
only once dipping below receiving at least 61 percent of
the popular vote.
Senator Bingaman has worked on everything from dropout
prevention in schools with low student achievement and
graduation rates to phasing out the waiting period for
disabled individuals to become eligible for Medicare
benefits and to eliminate it for people with life-
threatening conditions to the establishment of ARPA-E, the
Advanced Research Projects Agency at the Department of
Energy.
Earlier this month, the Energy Information
Administration, EIA, reported that with improved
efficiency of energy use and a shift away from the most
carbon-intensive fuels, U.S. energy-related carbon
dioxide, CO2, emissions are likely to remain
more than 5 percent below their 2005 level through 2040.
Emissions from motor gasoline will decline as a result of
the adoption of fuel economy standards, biofuel mandates,
and shifts in consumer behavior. Emissions from coal used
in the generation of electricity will decline as power
generation shifts from coal to lower-carbon fuels,
including natural gas and renewables. These are all
significant accomplishments, made possible largely by
Senator Bingaman's steady hand at the helm of the Energy
and Natural Resources Committee, where he has helped to
shape and pass all of the major energy bills for over the
past decade.
In 2009 Senator Bingaman shepherded the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act to passage. That legislation added
wilderness protection to over 2 million acres, designated
1,100 miles of wild and scenic rivers, and added more than
2,800 miles to the national trail system. I believe it was
the biggest wilderness bill Congress has ever enacted
after the original Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. The
epitaph on the stone plaque where the great English
architect Sir Christopher Wren is buried reads, ``If you
seek his monument, look around you.'' The same could be
said for Senator Bingaman with regard to the preservation
of our natural world.
Two weeks ago, Senator Bingaman gave his farewell speech
to the Senate and I would like to quote from the beginning
of that speech. He remarked,
In 1981, in his first inaugural address, President
Reagan said, ``Government is not the solution to our
problem; government is the problem.''
I came to the Senate 2 years later in 1983 with the firm
belief that in most cases his statement was wrong.
I believed then and I believe now that the Federal
Government can be a constructive force for good; in
protecting and maintaining the civil liberties of all
Americans, in maintaining and strengthening our economy,
in protecting our environment, and in helping Americans
live productive and fulfilling lives.
I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Bingaman and am
grateful that for the past 30 years in public service, he
has lived by those words and beliefs. ...
Mr. President, these men and women who will be leaving
the Senate soon have made extraordinary sacrifices to
serve our Nation. We are fortunate that they have chosen
to spend significant parts of their lives in public
service. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude. Those
of us who will be in the Senate next month when the 113th
Congress convenes can best honor the legacy of our
departing colleagues by reaching across the aisle as they
have done so many times to forge bipartisan consensus and
solutions to our Nation's most vexing problems. The men
and women who will be leaving the Senate at the end of
this Congress understand that compromise isn't a dirty
word; it is the genius at the heart of our political
system. We will miss them.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize
one of our most distinguished Senators as he prepares to
retire from this body after five terms. Senator Jeff
Bingaman has earned the reputation of being a strong and
effective leader during his time in the Senate. He has
achieved what all of us try to achieve as advocates of our
States--getting results in Washington while staying
closely connected to our constituents who sent us here to
represent them. I have admired his intelligence, courage,
pragmatism, and willingness to solve problems with
bipartisan solutions.
Senator Bingaman and I have worked together on many
issues and projects, and I have never questioned his
steadfast commitment to do what he believes is right for
New Mexico and this country. During his 30 years in the
Senate he has worked tirelessly on a number of committees,
including the Armed Services Committee, the Finance
Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources, which he currently chairs.
While most of my work with Jeff has been on energy
issues, working with Senator Bingaman on the Senate HELP
Committee was also a great pleasure. He has been an
excellent partner, for example, on issues that are
important to our American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and
Alaska Native constituents, who often live in communities
that face multiple challenges. There have been many times
in the HELP Committee when it has been necessary for me to
explain why a proposed solution won't work in Alaska. As I
begin to explain about the Federal trust responsibility,
or tribal sovereignty, the lack of health care and basic
infrastructure, or how difficult it is to get and keep
teachers, nurses, and others in those communities, there
have been times when I have seen my colleagues think, here
we go again, the ``It is different in Alaska'' speech. But
whether we have been discussing education, health care,
job creation, or any one of the innumerable challenges
Americans face when they live in Indian Country, Jeff
Bingaman gets it. He and I have been able to speak with
our colleagues on both sides of the aisle with one voice
about what will work, what will not work, and why. We can
explain the complexities of the Federal trust
responsibility and tribal sovereignty as a bipartisan team
because whether our constituents live on a reservation in
New Mexico or a remote village in Alaska or in one of our
larger cities, the challenges they face are often the
same, and what will work in other places in America often
won't work in our Native communities. That partnership has
been so important in making sure that the good work we are
trying to do for all Americans works for America's first
peoples in every State.
In addition to our work on HELP, our strongest
collaboration has been while working together in our
leadership roles on the Energy and Natural Resources
Committee. Senator Bingaman has been tireless in ensuring
that our Nation has the energy resources it needs to meet
our growing demands well into the 21st century. He was a
leader in the development of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, both
major blueprints for the expansion of all forms of
renewable energy, especially biomass, geothermal, and
marine hydrokinetic power. I am happy to have had the
chance to work closely with Senator Bingaman in those
efforts. In 2008 and 2009 we also worked to pass a package
of major public land legislation that will be a legacy for
the Senator for decades to come.
When Senator Bingaman announced he was retiring from the
Senate, I took note that he vowed to finish out the
remainder of Congress with substantive achievements. Since
then, he has affirmed this promise and has again driven
productive discussions on several issues that will last
beyond his time here, such as his efforts to move forward
our Nation's program on spent nuclear fuel. The
legislation that he introduced is indicative of months of
thoughtful and productive discussions aimed to address the
back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. I congratulate him on
constantly moving the conversation forward and putting a
marker out there toward reaching an equitable goal.
Senator Bingaman should be very proud of his nearly four
decades of public service as New Mexico's attorney general
and U.S. Senator. From fighting for our energy future to
standing with the people of New Mexico through difficult
economic times, Senator Bingaman has been a trusted leader
for the people of his State. He has been a champion for
his constituents, a powerful voice for Native American
concerns, and a leader on science research and energy tax
policy.
He has been unfailingly and personally considerate to
me, and I extend my gratitude for his service and thank
him for his gracious aid on issues of concern to me and my
home State. I wish him and his family good health and best
wishes in the future and great happiness in whatever he
and Anne now decide to do. The Senate has been a better
place due to his civilized manner, his wit, and his
intelligent solutions for the Nation's problems. We will
miss Senator Bingaman's presence here in the Senate.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to the
retiring Members of the 112th Congress.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.