[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 93 (Monday, June 28, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S7752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     CONGRATULATING ROBERT W. SMITH

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues a significant achievement in the field of environmental 
science.
  Lockheed Martin Corporation annually recognizes 50 of its 170,000 
employees with NOVA awards for technical excellence. Mr. Robert W. 
Smith of Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company, the operating 
contractor of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental 
Laboratory, INEEL, was cited for his valuable work in utilizing 
microbial communities in the subsurface to contribute to the 
remediation of contaminants resulting from nuclear energy and weapons 
research.
  Mr. Smith heads teams comprised of scientists from the Pacific 
Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton University, and Portland State 
University. They represent the best in field scale research of 
biogeochemistry processes. The natural processes that Mr. Smith and his 
teams uncover will be incorporated into future efforts to clean up the 
legacy of waste from the nuclear energy complex and contamination 
problems on other agency lands. Mr. Smith expects that instead of 
massive engineering solutions to remove the waste, natural processes 
that cause less environmental disturbance will be more commonly 
utilized.
  I congratulate Mr. Smith on receiving this award. The achievement 
also recognizes that his success could not have been made without the 
dedication of his team members. There are an array of environmental 
stewardship and natural resource problems ranging from mining 
reclamation to global climate impacts that could be solved through 
collaborative research. Objective science and reasonable solutions 
would then be available for policy makers, agency executives, and 
advocate groups involved in critical natural resource issues. More can 
be accomplished when parties work together to solve problems than 
through conflict. I urge each of my colleagues to keep these concepts 
in mind as we debate and consider investing in basic science, research, 
and the environment.

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