[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PAYING TRIBUTE TO ANN GORSUCH BURFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 2004

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to 
mourn the death of Ann Gorsuch Buford, who recently passed away at the 
age of sixty-two after a long bout with cancer. She possessed a strong 
intellect that she utilized to become an eloquent and passionate 
environmental advocate. President Ronald Reagan appointed her as the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency where she brought 
economic and fiscal discipline to the agency. I am honored to stand 
before this body of Congress and this Nation to recognize her many 
accomplishments.
  Ann was born in Casper, Wyoming, but spent most of her life growing 
up in Denver, Colorado. She earned both her masters and law degrees 
from the University of Colorado by the time she was twenty-one, and 
went on to study in India for a year on a Fulbright Scholarship. After 
completing her studies, Ann served as an assistant district attorney in 
Denver and Jefferson counties before being elected to the Colorado 
state House of Representatives in 1976. She spent 4 years leading the 
initiative to cut the grocery sales tax and stiffen criminal sentences, 
and was named outstanding freshman legislator. In 1980, when Reagan was 
elected president, Ann was selected to be the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making her the second highest-
ranking woman in the Reagan Administration.
  At the EPA, Ann was able to efficiently cut-down on government waste 
inside the executive agency while enforcing environmental regulations. 
When she left Washington, Ann returned to a Denver law practice working 
primarily on children's advocacy. She is survived by her mother, 
Dorothy O'Grady McGill, her children, Neil, Stephanie, and J.J. 
Gorsuch, five grandchildren, her brother, Joe McGill, and her sisters, 
Mary Edwards, Theresa Peace, Dorothy McGill, Veronica Urban, and Rosie 
Binge.
  Mr. Speaker, Ann Gorsuch Burford was a diligent public servant of 
this Nation, who worked to improve the quality of our air and water in 
Colorado and the Nation. I am honored to recognize her before this body 
of Congress today. My thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and 
family at this difficult time of bereavement.

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