[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 100 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR AND CEO STEVE 
                        WRIGHT ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 29, 2012

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Bonneville 
Power Administration (BPA) Administrator and Chief Executive Officer, 
Steve Wright, on his upcoming retirement. He has served as 
Administrator of the BPA for over a decade and is the second-longest 
serving administrator in the organization's history.
  Mr. Wright joined BPA in 1981 in the agency's conservation office. 
From this entry-level position he became the permanent BPA 
Administrator in February of 2002 after serving as Acting Administrator 
since late 2000.
  Mr. Wright began his tenure as head of the BPA at the beginning of 
the West Coast energy crisis in 2000 and 2001. He successfully avoided 
electrical blackouts in the Pacific Northwest by reducing spot market 
purchases, which helped return BPA to financial stability. He also 
worked to negotiate and preserve the hydropower system and bring more 
renewable resources to the region.
  His leadership of BPA has been based on collaboration and 
transparency. Steve's work to reach out to customers, tribes, and 
stakeholders resulted in the highest ever customer, constituent, and 
tribal satisfaction scores. By opening up the financial and decision-
making process to the public he increased transparency and reduced 
internal inefficiencies, saving millions of dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the career of 
Steve Wright. His leadership and dedication to Bonneville Power 
Administration has had an astounding impact on the lives of everyone 
living in the Pacific Northwest. I wish him the best in all of his 
future endeavors.

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