[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING PAM BALDWIN OF THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SHERWOOD BOEHLERT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my thanks and best 
wishes to Pamela Baldwin, a lawyer who served in the American Law 
Division of the Congressional Research Service, CRS, for many years, 
and who, like me, is now retiring.
  Pam's title at CRS was Legislative Attorney, and her specialty was 
environmental law, and it often seemed that her specialty was all of 
environmental law. She was a trusted advisor to the Congress, in 
general, and to me and my staff, in particular, on a dizzying array of 
issues--the National Environmental Policy Act, endangered species, 
wilderness and public lands, oil and gas drilling, forestry, mining, 
and coastal land use.
  And she worked on all of these issues the same way--painstakingly, 
tirelessly, drawing on deep knowledge and with an unswerving dedication 
to objective analysis. She knew both the theory of law and how it was 
being applied in practice by federal agencies. And she could discuss 
complex and abstruse legal matters in a way that even a Congressman 
could understand.
  In short, in a time of deep partisan and ideological division, Pam 
was exactly the kind of expert we needed--someone who knew the facts 
and was willing to state them, no matter how much pressure she faced to 
do otherwise. And she was always willing to make herself available, on 
a moment's notice, seven days a week, to help inform the policy 
process. That's not an exaggeration. In fact, Pam had been hoping to 
retire for several months already, but had been asked to stay on. My 
staff made sure to take full advantage of the extra time and kept her 
busy during these recent months.
  She did all of this with unfailing good humor, a wry sense of the 
world, and a constant ability to be surprised but not thrown by what 
might turn up in legislation.
  Pam played an invaluable role at CRS, and the Nation is better for 
it. This is not the time to list the number of questionable provisions 
that might have made it into law if not for Pam's analysis, but they 
are many. Not just the Congress, but the Nation, owes her a debt of 
gratitude. My staff and I will miss her greatly, but we will remember 
what we have learned from her. I wish her the best in retirement.

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