[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PAYING TRIBUTE TO BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

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                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
pay tribute to the Bureau of Reclamation and congratulate all of its 
employees and supporters on reaching an extraordinary milestone. As the 
bureau celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is my sincere pleasure to 
congratulate each and every employee on many years of excellence in 
serving the Western United States and, indeed, the entire nation. The 
efforts put forth by this organization are truly appreciated by 
everyone who lives in the seventeen Western states that it serves, and 
I am honored to stand before you today and bring its many 
accomplishments to the attention of this body of Congress. For 100 
years, this agency has worked diligently to make the Western United 
States livable, and I, along with the many residents that have 
benefited from their efforts, am proud and thankful for what you have 
accomplished.
  Started in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt in order to permit 
``homemaking'' in the Western states, the Bureau and its employees have 
long been a vital part of Western life. Colorado could not be the 
vibrant and majestic state it is today without the hard work and 
dedication of each and every employee in the hundred year history of 
the Bureau. From the early beginnings, the employees have been the 
heart of the agency, involved in numerous projects not only in the 
administration of the program but assisted in the construction of the 
dams and canals as well. Today, the Bureau has twenty-two offices that 
oversee 180 projects and the employees still remain the core of the 
operation. In addition to the commitment of the supporters and 
employees of the Bureau of Reclamation, this vision and foresight of 
the agency have been vital to Colorado and the West.
  This agency has long recognized the thoughtfulness and forbearance of 
our early Colorado settlers. As this country was expanding, the need to 
create abundant and rich soil became a backbone to ensuring the 
settlement of Western lands. The Bureau of Reclamation has helped our 
forefathers build several reservoirs and canals to gather and transfer 
water that would be used to irrigate otherwise fruitless soil. As a 
result, the efforts of the Bureau have helped aspiring farmers to reap 
the benefits of an otherwise desolate landscape. This was a remarkable 
accomplishment for those early times in our history and I am thankful 
for the role that the Bureau of Reclamation played in assistance to our 
early pioneers.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to be able to congratulate 
each and every employee and supporter of the Bureau of Reclamation on 
this historic occasion, and wish each of them all the best in the next 
one hundred years. I commend each of you for your work in ensuring that 
the water needs of all of the residents of the Western States, from the 
early homesteaders to today's modern users, are addressed. I also would 
like to recognize the successful vision of the agency and I know that 
the Bureau will continue to provide that vision to take us into the 
twenty-first century. I am delighted to bring the efforts of such an 
extraordinary agency to the attention of this body of Congress. Keep up 
the great work; I look forward to the years to come!

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