[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 12, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING SHANNON HARPS--ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 12, 2008

  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, my colleague Norm Dicks and I would like 
to pay tribute in remembrance of Shannon Harps, one of Washington's 
finest young environmental advocates. She was killed on December 31, 
2007 by an unknown assailant as she was returning to her Capitol Hill 
apartment in Seattle from the grocery store. Shannon's death is a 
tremendous loss to our community and the many issues to which she 
devoted her life. We join with Shannon's family, friends, and 
colleagues in the Sierra Club in mourning the loss of this wonderful 
person and fine community organizer. Though her life was cut short, she 
was able to make a large impact on the quality of the Northwest 
environment.
  Shannon came from her home State of Ohio to Seattle, Washington in 
February 2004 to join the staff of the Northwest Office of the Sierra 
Club. This move joined two of Shannon's strongest desires--to work to 
protect our environment and to live in the Northwest where she could 
more vigorously pursue her strong love for the outdoors.
  Shannon had a wonderful sense of humor and a style of working with 
people that immediately put them at ease and made it easy for them to 
join her in protecting our environment and quality of life. Shannon 
particularly enjoyed working with high school and college students to 
help them develop their interests and talents in working to create a 
better world. While Shannon's work was directly focused on protecting 
our environment, from wilderness to global warming, her values were 
deeply embedded in a strong sense of fairness and justice for all 
people.
  In the four years that Shannon lived in Washington State she helped 
to protect some of our finest lands. Shannon worked with several groups 
in a local coalition effort with Congressman Norm Dicks to add key 
lands in the Carbon River drainage to Mt. Rainier National Park. She 
worked with Sierra Club volunteers and staff from the many groups to 
help move the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal through the various steps of 
its arduous journey through the congressional process. She was a leader 
in the State of Washington, and worked with colleagues around the 
country, to help thwart the various ill-considered efforts to open up 
America's Arctic Coastal Plain to oil and gas drilling. She was a lead 
organizer in the successful effort in 2006 to pass the Renewable Energy 
Portfolio Standard for Washington State assuring that Washington will 
be a leader in developing a clean energy future and creating good jobs. 
And, in the recent two years, much of her work focused on building 
relationships with local officials and creating public support so they 
too would endorse the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement making sure 
we are stepping up to the challenge of global warming.
  In her all-too-short life, she made contributions that benefited our 
community, State, and world. She lived her life as an example of living 
lightly on the planet, and engaged the people and world around her with 
grace, humor, kindness, and respect. Everyone who worked with her 
admired her style, tenacity, and sense of purpose, along with her 
sparkling smile and laugh.
  Shannon loved living and working in the Northwest. She reveled in the 
outdoors and nothing made her happier than to participate in a 
competitive run or to hike the Northwest's high mountain trails. Her 
death is a loss for us all but her spirit still resides with all of 
those with whom she worked and walked the trails. We will remember her 
as we continue the struggle to protect our lands and environment and to 
create a more just and fair world for us all.

                          ____________________