[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LETTER TO CONGRESS FROM THE DAUGHTERS OF FORMER SENATOR PAUL TSONGAS

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                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2005

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, throughout his distinguished career, our 
former colleague, Senator Paul Tsongas, worked tirelessly to ensure 
that our environment and our nation's natural treasures would be 
preserved for future generations of Americans. He was particularly 
proud of his leadership in the Senate that led to the original 
designation of approximately 18 million acres of land in Alaska, 
including the Arctic Coastal Plain, as the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge. Nothing better demonstrates the importance of the idea of 
generational responsibility for which he fought so stridently than the 
statement below from his three daughters--Ashley, Katina and Molly. 
Senator Tsongas understood that he had a duty to protect the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge for his daughters, and this Congress must 
understand that it has a charge to continue to preserve this unspoiled 
wilderness for future generations.
  Since its establishment 25 years ago, the threat to the Arctic 
National Wildlife Refuge has never been greater, but so is the support 
of American families for keeping drilling away from this magnificent 
pristine ecological gem. This statement of the Tsongas family is 
eloquent testimony to the fact that the wilderness values of our 
wildlife refuge system are eternal, whereas the energy value of a few 
oil wells will always be fleeting.
  Letter to Congress from the daughters of former Senator Paul Tsongas:

       Dear Member of Congress: We are writing to express our hope 
     that you will vote to keep any authority for oil and gas 
     drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge out of the 
     budget reconciliation bill. Our father, Sen. Paul Tsongas, 
     believed the most valuable opportunity afforded to any member 
     of Congress is the opportunity to make this country and this 
     world a better place for future generations. The principle of 
     generational responsibility was both grand and personal--he 
     fought for America's children and for us, his three daughters 
     and his future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For 
     this reason, he cosponsored the legislation to establish the 
     Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with the expectation that it 
     would not only be his enduring gift to us but also Congress's 
     legacy to America's future generations. In doing so, he 
     entrusted us with the responsibility to ensure that this 
     unique natural resource remains protected, not just for a few 
     decades, but for generations to come.
       In the years after he left the Senate, our father would 
     cite the creation of this magnificent wild arctic sanctuary 
     as one of the accomplishments he was most proud of in his 
     life. We know that he would be fighting for its preservation 
     today. As his daughters and as Americans, we treasure the 
     gift he gave us and the responsibility it carries. We take 
     this responsibility very seriously and hope that you do as 
     well.

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