[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 16, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H7609-H7610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MOLLIE BEATTIE WILDERNESS AREA ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take 
from the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1899) entitled the 
``Mollie Beattie Wilderness Area Act,'' and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I shall 
of course not object, and I would be pleased to yield to the gentleman 
from Alaska [Mr. Young].
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the House today will 
consider S. 1899. This bill honors the dedicated service of the late 
Mollie Beattie, former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
This bill designates an 8-million-acre wilderness area in the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge as the Mollie Beattie Wilderness Area. That is 
in my State, it is an area that is just above my home.
  I feel fortunate to have been one of the few people who had the 
opportunity to work with Mollie on both a personal and professional 
basis. While she left this world much too soon, she truly achieved a 
lifetime worth of accomplishments.
  Her dedication to upgrading the Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in 
a much more efficient and responsible agency. Her rational approach to 
her job led to many bipartisan accomplishments. She was able to bring 
all sides of an issue to the table in order to reach commonsense 
agreements. Because of this, she was respected by all of those who knew 
and worked with her.
  While Mollie and I often differed on legislative issues, we were able 
to work closely together because she was a person of the utmost 
integrity and professionalism. I respected the fact that when she took 
a position on an issue it was because she truly believed it was the 
right thing to do. She was a straight shooter who earned the respect of 
all of us in Congress.
  Mollie was the one person directly responsible for upgrading the Fish 
and Wildlife Service. She instilled a public service attitude among her 
employees and brought a more compassionate approach to her agency 
because she personally believed that the needs of people were important 
in the administration of Federal regulations.
  Mollie is also to be commended for the positive approach she brought 
to Government. She was the least adversarial and least confrontational 
Director I have ever worked with during my 24 years in Congress. 
Because of this, she was able to accomplish a lot of bipartisan goals 
when others would have failed.
  I believe her legacy will be one of the most unwavering commitments 
to preserve and protect the animals, birds, and fish of our Nation. Her 
compassionate devotion to this cause will not be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, may I suggest one thing? She did go to Alaska, she 
visited Alaska, worked with Alaskans. She did know the area which I am 
speaking of.
  It is difficult for me to have this area, but no better person could 
be nominated to have the name the Mollie Beattie Wilderness Area in the 
Arctic Wildlife Range. I am very acquainted with the area. I myself 
have traveled the area, trapped the area, hunted the area, mined in the 
area, worked in the area, and she did know the beauty and grandeur of 
the area, so at this time I am very pleased to say that this is a good 
piece of legislation.
  Mr. STUDDS. Further reserving the right to object, Mr. Speaker, today 
we pause briefly from our business of passing legislation and debating 
the issues of the day to honor the memory of a person who reminds us 
why we all came here in the first place. Mollie Beattie did not come to 
Washington for love of politics or power. She would have much rather 
been tending her bees and flowers in the peace and quiet of her rural 
Vermont home. Rather, she came because she had a message and a mission, 
and Washington, DC, was where she had to go to get the job done.
  Mollie assumed the directorship of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
a little over 3 years ago at a time when many of the fundamental 
missions of that agency were under fire. Never comfortable in the harsh 
glare of the limelight, she nevertheless conducted herself with dignity 
and grace even in the most difficult situations, and worked 
determinedly for what she believed was right.
  The controversy surrounding endangered species, wetlands, and other 
conservation issues continues, but Mollie never lapsed into cynicism or 
partisanship. To her, the conservation of fish and wildlife and their 
habitat was not a policy decision, it was not a political stick with 
which to thrash opponents, it was simply a moral imperative. ``I 
believe there's only one conflict,'' she told an interviewer, ``and 
that's between the short-term and the long-term thinking. In the long 
term, the economy and the environment are the same thing.''
  Firm but not rigid, morally grounded but never self-righteous, and 
astute without being cunning, Mollie in her short and productive life 
had a lot to teach us about how to live our own lives. She always 
thought in the long term and her death is our loss in the long term.
  It is fitting that the bill before us today would rename a mountain 
wilderness after Mollie. Their untamed nature and quiet strength are 
reflective of those qualities that we will miss most in Mollie. Long 
after we are gone, these mountains will stand as a tribute to Mollie 
Beattie. Long after her untimely passing, her indomitable spirit and 
quiet commitment will infuse and invigorate wildlife conservation. And 
for Mollie, that will be the greatest tribute of all.
  Mr. Speaker, she loved this Earth and its creatures. She was utterly 
without pretense, and unlike so many of us who come to this city, she 
never once confused herself with the monuments, and as my colleagues 
can see, she took the already unspeakably mellow gentleman from Alaska 
and mellowed him even further.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. STUDDS. I yield to the gentleman from Alaska.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have worked with many people in 
my life, and one thing about Mollie Beattie, she and I had our 
differences at one of our hearings, and she came to my office the day 
after the hearing and apologized to me for not having all her 
information correct and saying, in fact, that will never happen again, 
Congressman. And I have always respected her from that moment on, and 
we had this working relationship. The only thing I can suggest is it is 
just unknown in this town for many, many years. I just wish that other 
Federal agency heads that are appointed would understand one thing: 
This is a legislative branch and executive branch, and the ability to 
achieve goals is what we should be seeking. I cannot say that for 
everyone else that works in the Department of the Interior, but I could 
say it for her, and I said it prior to her demise, in fact, while she 
was still in office I spoke to her on occasion in my State, which was 
not too popular, I know, with this administration. But the truth of the 
matter, she always was there in a straightforward position, presented 
her view as she saw it without being arrogant or without being abrasive 
and was always being honest, and to me that meant a great deal.
  Mr. STUDDS. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson].
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the two very 
gracious

[[Page H7610]]

gentlemen and their effort to honor Mollie Beattie and her legacy and 
her name by naming this wilderness area in Alaska, the Brooks Range, 
after her.
  Mr. Speaker, I did not know her as well as these two gentlemen, but I 
watched the struggle that she undertook with her cancer on the national 
media and how, despite her illness, she continued to come into work and 
try to protect her endangered species, and I think that this is a very 
gracious and noble effort, and I commend the two gentlemen, and I hope 
that we remember what her legacy was, and that is the protection of our 
species as we move ahead on legislative efforts in the future.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, it was with great sadness that 
we learned of the untimely passing of Mollie Beattie on June 27. The 
many accomplishments of her too brief tenure as Director of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service were indicative of her approach to 
life. She led the Service at a time when many of our fundamental 
protections for wildlife and the environment were under attack. But 
Mollie always seized life by the horns and took the rough ride without 
complaint, even to the end.
  She dealt with friend and foe alike with an honesty and 
straightforwardness that was unusual and refreshing. In fact, I don't 
believe she regarded those who challenged the conservation policies of 
her agency as foes, but as people who could see it her way if she just 
had a chance to talk it over with them. Her vision of wildlife 
conservation was crystal clear and far-reaching, and came not from 
political calculation, but from moral conviction.
  The bill we are passing today will rename the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge Wilderness, the largest in the refuge system, after 
Mollie Beattie. The mountains of Alaska's Brooks Range are an 
appropriate tribute to Mollie. Their quiet beauty should not lead us to 
underestimate their inner strength. Mollie showed this kind of strength 
as she continued to lead the Fish and Wildlife Service despite 
worsening health problems in recent months. When we look at these 
mountains in the future we will be reminded of her spirit, her vision, 
and most of all her quiet strength.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation, a 
fitting tribute to Mollie Beattie, a leader in wilderness protection.
  This legislation is especially important to me because Mollie Beattie 
was a Vermonter and the State of Vermont was lucky enough to benefit 
from her work long before she became the first woman to direct the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service. Her extensive list of accomplishments has 
benefited wildlife habitat areas, State parks, wetlands, and forests in 
Vermont and across the Nation.
  This legislation recognizes the contribution that Mollie Beattie made 
to the environment and the pristine wilderness that graces our Nation. 
The designation will remind all of us of her strong defense of the 
environment and remind us that we need to do our own part in protecting 
it.
  It was a great loss when Mollie Beattie was taken from this earth she 
loved so much when she died of brain cancer on June 27, 1996. I urge 
your support for this bill that provides a suitable tribute to her 
work.
  Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, once again we honor a very decent and very 
gentle woman, and, I might add, a very brave woman.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 1899

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     section 702(3) of Public Law 96-487 is amended by striking 
     ``Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness'' and inserting 
     ``Mollie Beattie Wilderness''. The Secretary of the Interior 
     is authorized to place a monument in honor of Mollie 
     Beattie's contributions to fish, wildlife, and waterfowl 
     conservation and management at a suitable location that he 
     designates within the Mollie Beattie Wilderness.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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