[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3692-S3693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING CRAIG WILLIAMS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate a 
distinguished Kentuckian who has been honored with a very distinguished 
award. I

[[Page S3693]]

understand that philanthropist Richard Goldman got the inspiration for 
the Goldman Environmental Prize after reading about the winners of the 
Nobel Prize, and wondering why there was no equivalent for 
extraordinary efforts to conserve our natural environment.
  Now, less than two decades since its inception, the Goldman 
Environmental Prize has risen to rival the Nobel as a marker of 
achievement. Every one of this year's winners fought to protect the 
environment in a way that affected the lives of thousands, if not 
millions, of others, often alone and at great personal cost. All of 
them have my admiration. And I am grateful the Goldman Environmental 
Prize will continue to recognize and reward conservationists who 
protect the land, and promote the well-being of the people who use it.
  All of that said, I speak today for one reason. Craig Williams has 
been a friend for over 20 years, and an inspiration. Craig won this 
award because he dared to speak out against an immovable, hidebound 
bureaucracy--the Department of Defense--and he won. He is proof that, 
sometimes, David really can slay Goliath. This year, he has been 
honored as the North American recipient of the Goldman Environmental 
Prize.
  For 20 years, Craig's vigilance has proven invaluable in ongoing 
efforts to ensure the Department of Defense destroys its hundreds of 
tons of chemical weapons as safely and efficiently as possible. These 
deadly materials are stored at Blue Grass Army Depot, which is near 
Craig's home in Berea, KY, and at several other locations across the 
United States. Thanks to his activism, we are closer than we ever have 
been to taking tangible steps towards removing these heinous weapons 
from the face of the Earth once and for all.
  Craig's biggest fans are his neighbors, the people of Madison County, 
KY. To them, Craig is an absolute hero. Imagine if you lived just a 
short distance away from over 500 tons of the deadliest materials ever 
conceived by man, VX nerve agent. As little as 10 milligrams of VX will 
kill a human being. That is about the mass of 10 grains of sand. If 
inhaled, death is immediate.
  Too many people have lived for too long with that mortal threat 
hanging over them. Thanks to Craig, they can see light at the end of 
the tunnel.
  Obviously, Craig is very effective. But let me explain why he is so 
effective. First of all, he is tenacious. After 20 years of commitment 
to this cause--with little or no pay or recognition--he and the 
nationwide group of concerned citizens he founded, the Chemical Weapons 
Working Group, are more active than ever.
  A lot of people come to Congress every day with dire warnings about 
this or that issue. And a lot of them turn out to be Chicken Littles, 
warning about a sky that never falls. Craig is no Chicken Little. He is 
credible, because he knows what he is talking about. I listen to Craig, 
as do my Senate colleagues, because he is so often right.
  The work Craig and I have done together is a perfect model for how 
government can and ought to work with the people it serves. Too often, 
collaboration between lawmakers and informed citizens--also known as 
lobbyists, please excuse my language, I know that is a dirty word--is 
portrayed as unethical or sleazy.
  The truth is that the vast majority of people who come to Congress 
for help are people like Craig Williams. They have a lot of passion, a 
lot of knowledge, and want to persuade the government to use its power 
for their cause.
  Craig's cause is just, and his advocacy is persuasive. When Craig 
tells me something, I know it is worthy of consideration, and I will be 
inclined to move the levers of government to get the results he and I 
want. For 20 years I have been happy to do just that. Government works 
because of people like Craig Williams.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Craig Williams on 
this well-deserved honor.

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