[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11965-S11966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RETIREMENT OF SENATOR J. BENNETT JOHNSTON

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I rise today to say farewell to a 
colleague who is retiring from the Senate the end of this Congress--
Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana. Senator Johnston has been a 
good friend to Illinois, and his decision to retire will be a loss to 
Louisiana, a loss to this Chamber, and a loss to the Unites States.
  Senator Johnston was born in Shreveport, LA in 1932, attended Byrd 
High School and studied at the U.S. Military Academy and Washington and 
Lee University. He began his political career 32 years ago, serving 
eight years in the Louisiana Legislature and 24 years in the U.S. 
Senate.
  Since his arrival to the Senate, Senator Johnston has fought hard on 
behalf of the people of Louisiana. He has

[[Page S11966]]

used his seniority on the Senate Agriculture Committee to fight for the 
priorities of Louisiana farmers. He has worked to enhance navigation, 
flood control and hurricane protection in Louisiana, a State with many 
critical waterways. And he has fought to bring Federal dollars back to 
his home State, such as creating five national research centers at 
Louisiana universities and working to modernize Louisiana's military 
installations.
  Today, Senator Johnston is known nationally as a leader on energy 
issues. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources, Senator Johnston has been one of the 
chief congressional architects in crafting national energy policy, 
including what is considered his crowning achievement, the National 
Energy Security Act, the most comprehensive energy bill ever to pass 
Congress.
  I appreciate the assistance that Senator Johnston has provided to the 
State of Illinois over the years. Illinois is home to two major 
Department of Energy laboratories, Fermi National Accelerator 
Laboratory and the Argonne National Laboratory. Senator Johnston's 
support has been critical to ensuring that Federal funding for these 
institutions, and the programs under their jurisdiction, is preserved 
as much as possible during these times of tight budgets. During the 
debate on the Integral Fast Reactor, a major Illinois research program 
on next-generation nuclear technology, it again was Senator Johnston 
whose assistance and support were crucial to our victory. And it was 
his support that ensured that the jobs, research and hundreds of 
millions of dollars invested in IFR research were not wasted once the 
IFR program was eventually phased out.
  There are other Illinois programs and priorities that would not have 
been possible without the assistance of Senator Johnston, including 
preserving Federal funding for such critical Illinois projects as the 
reconstruction of the Chicago shoreline, the ongoing development the 
Deep Tunnel Flood Control System, and the Upper Mississippi River 
Feasibility Study.
  I have always admired the distinguished Senator's skilled advocacy in 
defending his State's interests. During the Senate debate on ethanol, I 
found him a formidable opponent, as was demonstrated by the fact that 
it took a tie-breaking vote from the Vice President to reach a final 
decision on that issue. That tight margin exemplifies the kind of 
excellence and thoroughness Senator Johnston brings to his legislative 
efforts.
  This institution will lose a great asset with the retirement of the 
distinguished Senator from Louisiana. I wish him, and his family, the 
very best in their future endeavors.

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