[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6828-H6829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              MT. ANDREA LAWRENCE DESIGNATION ACT OF 2010

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the

[[Page H6829]]

bill (H.R. 5194) to designate Mt. Andrea Lawrence, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5194

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Mt. Andrea Lawrence 
     Designation Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that Andrea Mead Lawrence--
       (1) was born in Rutland County, Vermont, on April 19, 1932, 
     where she developed a life-long love of winter sports and 
     appreciation for the environment;
       (2) competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, 
     Switzerland, and the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina 
     d'Ampezzo, Italy, and was the torch lighter at the 1960 
     Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California;
       (3) won 2 Gold Medals in the Olympic special and giant 
     slalom races at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, and 
     remains the only United States double-gold medalist in alpine 
     skiing;
       (4) was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 
     1958 at the age of 25;
       (5) moved in 1968 to Mammoth Lakes in the spectacularly 
     beautiful Eastern Sierra of California, a place that she 
     fought to protect for the rest of her life;
       (6) founded the Friends of Mammoth to maintain the beauty 
     and serenity of Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra;
       (7) served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of 
     Supervisors, where she worked tirelessly to protect and 
     restore Mono Lake, Bodie State Historic Park and other 
     important natural and cultural landscapes of the Eastern 
     Sierra;
       (8) worked, as a member of the Great Basin Air Pollution 
     Control District, to reduce air pollution that had been 
     caused by the dewatering of Owens Lake;
       (9) founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and 
     Rivers in 2003 to work for environmental protection and 
     economic vitality in the region she loved so much;
       (10) testified in 2008 before the Mono County Board of 
     Supervisors in favor of the Eastern Sierra and Northern San 
     Gabriel Wild Heritage Act, a bill that was enacted the day 
     before she died;
       (11) passed away on March 31, 2009, at 76 years of age, 
     leaving 5 children, Cortlandt, Matthew, Deirdre, Leslie, and 
     Quentin, and 4 grandchildren; and
       (12) leaves a rich legacy that will continue to benefit 
     present and future generations.

     SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF MT. ANDREA LAWRENCE.

       (a) In General.--Peak 12,240 (located 0.6 miles northeast 
     of Donahue Peak on the northern border of the Ansel Adams 
     Wilderness and Yosemite National Park (UTM coordinates Zone 
     11, 304428 E, 4183631 N)) shall be known and designated as 
     ``Mt. Andrea Lawrence''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, record, or other paper of the United States to the 
     peak described in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a 
     reference to ``Mt. Andrea Lawrence''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Washington 
(Mr. Hastings) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 5194, introduced by Representative Buck McKeon, would designate 
a mountain in California's Sierra Nevadas as Mt. Andrea Lawrence. 
Andrea Mead Lawrence was the first American to win two Olympic gold 
medals in alpine skiing. She followed her Olympic career with a career 
as an ardent conservationist.
  H.R. 5194 designates Peak 12,240 as Mt. Andrea Lawrence. The mountain 
is located on the northern border of the Ansel Adams Wilderness and the 
Yosemite National Park. This seems a fitting tribute to the life and 
work of Ms. Lawrence.
  I urge Members to support H.R. 5194.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Andrea Lawrence was a successful Olympic skier, a long-
time member of the Mono County Board of Supervisors, and founder of the 
Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers. This bill, as was 
explained, designates an unnamed 12,000-foot peak located on the 
boundary between the Ansel Adams Wilderness Area and Yosemite National 
Park as Mt. Andrea Lawrence.
  This designation is a fitting tribute to Andrea Lawrence, who died 
last year at the age of 76 after a long career as a pioneering woman 
and civic leader. Congressman McKeon should be commended for his work 
on this bill.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, for the time to speak in favor of my 
legislation, H.R. 5194, to name a peak in the Eastern Sierra in honor 
of Andrea Mead Lawrence. Let me also express my appreciation to the 
leaders of the Committee on Natural Resources, Chairmen Rahall and 
Grijalva, and Ranking Members Hastings and Bishop who worked to help 
bring this legislation to the floor today.
  Andrea Mead Lawrence was a remarkable woman. I was honored to know 
and work with her for the protection of the Eastern Sierra, a cause she 
championed for much of her life. Born in Rutland County, Vermont, on 
April 19, 1932, she developed a life-long love of winter sports and 
appreciation for the environment. A skilled skier, she competed in the 
1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland as well as the 1956 
Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy. She also served as the 
torch lighter at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. 
In the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Norway, she won two Gold Medals in 
the Olympic special and giant slalom races. To this day, she remains 
the only United States double-gold medalist in alpine skiing. For her 
significant accomplishments, she was inducted into the U.S. National 
Ski Hall of Fame in 1958, at the age of 25.
  These remarkable achievements at a young age, however, were just the 
beginning of a life of service to her community and environmental 
preservation. In 1968, Andrea moved to Mammoth Lakes in the 
spectacularly beautiful Eastern Sierra of California. It was in this 
special region she spent the rest of her life working to protect the 
area's natural treasures.
  Never one to rest on her accomplishments, she founded the Friends of 
Mammoth to maintain the beauty and serenity of Mammoth Lakes and the 
Eastern Sierra. She served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of 
Supervisors, where she worked tirelessly to protect and restore Mono 
Lake, Bodie State Historic Park, and other important natural and 
cultural landscapes of the Eastern Sierra. As a member of the Great 
Basin Air Pollution Control District, she worked to reduce air 
pollution caused by the dewatering of Owens Lake. In 2003, she founded 
the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers to protect the 
environment and the economic vitality of this important region.
  In 2008, she testified before the Mono County Board of Supervisors in 
favor of the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act, 
a bill enacted the day before she died on March 31, 2009 at the age of 
76. Andrea left a rich legacy of a family of five children and four 
grandchildren, as well as a distinguished record in skiing. Her 
tireless efforts have left a better legacy for the people who live and 
recreate in the Eastern Sierra.
  Andrea Mead Lawrence's life philosophy is summed up in her quote 
``Your life doesn't stop by winning medals. It's only the beginning. 
And if you have the true Olympic spirit, you have to put it back into 
the world in meaningful ways.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is very fitting to name Peak 12,240 ``Mt. Andrea 
Lawrence''; both in her honor, and as a visible point of inspiration 
for future generations.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5194.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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