[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E955-E956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             LESTER B. LAVE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2011

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of 
Carnegie Mellon University professor Lester B. Lave, who passed away on 
May 9th at the age of 71.
  Dr. Lave spent most of his career at CMU, where he distinguished 
himself as one of the world's most influential contributors to 
economics and environmental science. In addition to his title as 
University Professor, the highest distinction a faculty member can 
achieve at Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Lave served as the Harry B. and James 
H. Higgins Professor of Economics at the Tepper School of Business, 
director of the Green Design Initiative, and co-director of the 
Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center.
  In a career that spanned more than 40 years, Dr. Lave tackled some of 
the most important questions relating to health, safety, energy, and 
the environment. By applying principles from economics and risk 
analysis, he performed ground-breaking research on a wide range of 
topics including global warming, automobile and transportation safety, 
dam safety, and the environmental effects of fuel additives.
  Dr. Lave first gained attention from scholars and policy-makers in 
the 1970's when he and Eugene Seskin published research showing that 
air pollution was linked to increased death rates in American cities. 
Lave and Seskin's work was highly controversial. But it was supported 
by further research, and we now know that approximately 1 percent of 
all deaths in the United States stem from small-particle air pollution. 
This research later served as a basis for EPA clean air regulations.

[[Page E956]]

  Among other significant studies he performed throughout his career, 
Dr. Lave and his colleagues showed in the 1990's that electric cars run 
on lead-based batteries were actually more harmful to the environment 
than cars that burned leaded gasoline. In recent years, his work 
focused on green design and improving the electricity system. Along 
with his colleagues, he helped found the Carnegie Mellon Electricity 
Industry Center, which is the largest electric power research group of 
its kind.
  In addition to teaching and researching at CMU, Dr. Lave was a senior 
fellow at the Brookings Institution. In 1982, he was elected to the 
Institute of Medicine, and in 1985, he was named president of the 
Society for Risk Analysis. Dr. Lave served on and chaired numerous 
committees of the National Academies, where he most recently oversaw a 
study entitled ``Real Prospects for Energy Efficiency in the United 
States.''
  As a CMU professor, Dr. Lave served as the economics department chair 
for eight years and served as the primary mentor to 40 doctoral 
students.
  Dr. Lave is remembered by his colleagues and students as a caring 
teacher and untiring researcher who was dedicated to objective, 
thorough analysis. He should be remembered by this nation as a talented 
researcher whose body of work has improved U.S. public policy markedly 
and will continue to do so for years to come.
  I want to take this opportunity to express both my sincere admiration 
for Dr. Lave and my condolences to his wife, Judith, and his two 
children, Jonathan and Tamara.

                          ____________________