[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 11 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING RICH STEELE OF RICHLAND, WA

   Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, on November 17, 1995, Richard 
Steele of Richland, WA, was presented with an Environmental Hero Award 
by the Washington Environmental Council for spearheading the effort to 
save the Hanford Reach, the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia 
River. I prepared the following statement for the event and ask that it 
be printed in the Record.

       Rich Steele is a man with a mission.
       In fact, Rich Steele is something of a missionary in the 
     crusade to protect the Hanford Reach--the last free-flowing 
     stretch of the Columbia River and a sanctuary for one of the 
     strongest salmon runs left in the Northwest.
       Rich has labored for 30 years to protect the Reach. But he 
     is not your average environmentalist. Rich was brought up the 
     hard way in the Tri-Cities; worked construction and other 
     jobs until joining the workforce at the Hanford Nuclear 
     Reservation, where he became one of the site's top 
     technicians. As an avid hunter and fisher, Rich came to love 
     the River and became its chief advocate.
       His call to this mission came in the mid-sixties, when the 
     Reach was threatened by the Ben Franklin Dam proposal. Rich 
     organized the Columbia River Conservation League in 1967, 
     coordinating successful local opposition to the dam and its 
     powerful backers. He revived the CRCL in the 1980s to block a 
     dredging proposal for the Reach. All the while, Rich has 
     preached the virtues of the Reach--its clear waters and 
     fabulously productive spawning areas, its rich human history, 
     its abundant wildlife, its majestic White Bluffs and soul-
     restoring solitude.
       On his own time and at considerable personal expense, Rich 
     has led hundreds of pilgrimages down the Reach, making 
     converts among local citizens, the national media, and 
     elected officials. After touring the Reach with Rich last 
     summer, I am among those who believe it deserves the highest 
     level of permanent protection we can give it.
       Working closely with other long-time advocates like Jack de 
     Yonge, a dedicated group of local conservationists, and the 
     Nature Conservancy, Rich has helped to popularize the Reach 
     to the point that Wild and Scenic River designation enjoys 
     strong support in the Tri-Cities. Despite opposition from 
     some local politicians, we are developing legislation to 
     protect the Reach that I believe will have a good chance of 
     enactment--perhaps even in this Congress.
       None of this would be possible without Rich Steele's 
     inspired leadership, passionate activism, and three decades 
     of hard work. Rich has devoted his life to saving the Reach, 
     and it is fitting that he be honored as an environmental 
     hero. 

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