[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S8835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    IN RECOGNITION OF EUGENE PETERS

 Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, I rise to offer my gratitude and 
respect to a long-time member of my staff, Eugene Peters, who recently 
left my office after 10 years. I will miss Gene, as will everyone who 
worked with Gene on my staff, and his colleagues and counterparts on 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Gene is a member of a very small club here--second-generation Capitol 
Hill staffers. His father held several high posts in the House of 
Representatives, and Gene worked his way through college, in New 
Jersey, by spending summers as an elevator operator in this building. 
By the time he joined my staff in 1984, Gene had turned to scientific 
and academic pursuits, completing graduate work in both engineering and 
public policy. But while he may have been taught to think like an 
engineer, he was a natural at the very different and less orderly 
demands of getting legislation passed. His instinctive, entrepreneurial 
skill was demonstrated by his ability to handle hundreds of issues at 
once and find opportunities in each one to improve the quality of life 
in New Jersey.
  Gene Peters deserves not only my thanks, but those of the people of 
New Jersey. The shore is clean again this summer, because, in part, of 
Gene. Open spaces, which are jealously guarded in a State so densely 
populated, remain pristine, because of Gene Peters. There is less lead 
in the air and soil, and more awareness of its dangers, because of 
Gene. And hopefully, before this year is over, the citizens of New 
Jersey will have better protection from gas explosions in part because 
of Gene's hard work.
  The quality that has made Gene a great member of my staff is a simple 
one, but rare: He knows his stuff. Behind his relaxed, dressed-down 
persona, Gene knows just about all there is to know about Federal 
energy programs, land-use and water policy, beach erosion and 
replenishment, wasteful agricultural programs and numerous other issues 
that came his way. Gene brought to all these issues not just enthusiasm 
and knowledge, but the perspective of a parent who understands that the 
environmental laws we pass have important and far-reaching implications 
for the well-being of future generations. His ability to keep the work 
he did in perspective set an example for my entire staff. I will miss 
him, and I wish him luck in his new position at the Independent Energy 
Producers Association.


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