[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 27, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO SENATORS


                              Ken Salazar

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I stand before the Senate today to voice my 
great respect and hope in the Senator from Colorado, the Honorable Ken 
Salazar, who has recently left this Chamber in order to serve as 
Secretary of the Interior under the Obama administration. It is with 
sorrow that I say goodbye to my good friend who has served with honor 
and dedication since 2005. Although Ken only served for a few years in 
the Senate, he has left his mark on us all and will be remembered for 
his dedication and service not only to his country but to Utah's 
neighbor the great State of Colorado.
  Ken Salazar's personal history is a testament to his character and 
accomplishments. His family first settled in America just over 400 
years ago, 12 generations back. Ken's parents knew the value of 
teaching their eight children about hard work and dedication, and from 
them he learned the worth of industry on his family's ranch growing up. 
Those early years on the ranch taught Ken about the importance of hard 
work, integrity, and dedication. It is also from these early 
experiences that Ken grew to love the beauty of the natural resources 
our Nation has to offer.
  I am confident that the years of experience Mr. Salazar has worked on 
environmental policy in the West will serve him well in his new 
position as Secretary of the Interior. He has a deep-rooted passion for 
clean, renewable, and affordable energy as well as protecting our 
country's precious natural resources. I believe he will take quite 
naturally to his new role as our Nation's top public lands manager, and 
we will be well served by his sensitivity to those natural treasures we 
value the most.
  In short, Ken Salazar has the experience and the passion required for 
the role he has taken on as Secretary. I thank him for his excellent 
service in the Senate and look forward to seeing good things from him 
in the coming years.

                          ____________________