[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 40 (Thursday, March 21, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO KIM PUTENS

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES A. HAYES

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 1996

  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my appreciation publicly 
for the excellent job that Kim Putens has done the last 3 years as 
executive director of the National Wetlands Coalition. Kim departed her 
position on March 15 to move to the next exciting professional chapter 
in her life.
  The National Wetlands Coalition was formed in September 1989 by a 
broad cross-section of trade associations, companies, public entities, 
and individuals that are directly affected by the Federal Wetlands 
Regulatory Program, either because they own or live on land that is 
considered Federal jurisdictional wetlands or because they undertake 
economic activities that encounter wetlands. The group was formed to 
participate in the anticipated debate over how to achieve President 
Bush's goal of no overall net loss of wetlands. Longstanding concerns 
about the program, coupled with issuance of the 1989 manual that 
greatly broadened the description of lands that are Federal 
jurisdictional wetlands, expanded the debate to one over the entire 
wetlands permitting program under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this House, on May 16, 1995, by a vote of 240 to 185, 
adopted a number of reforms that are very similar to those that have 
been advocated by the National Wetlands Coalition since 1990. In fact, 
this was the first time since 1977 that either the House of Congress 
has adopted a comprehensive set of reforms of the section 404 program.
  Kim Putens made a major contribution to the wetlands regulatory 
reform victory in the House. We all know that no victory on a major 
issue in the House of Representatives is achieved easily and without an 
enormous amount of work. There are 435 of us and our staffs to educate 
on the issues; there are innumerable inquiries to which to respond; 
there are press inquiries and the need to keep private sector coalition 
participants informed and coordinated in their activities. Obviously, 
Kim did all of these tasks successfully and for the first time in 18 
years, a House of Congress took action on this controversial regulatory 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, again I thank Kim for her efforts and wish her the best 
in her future endeavors.

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