[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S8200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO MIKE BURKE

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to thank and to honor 
an invaluable member of my Senate team, Michael Burke. As my Maryland 
projects director, Mike has been the key liaison between the Federal 
legislative process and the critical institutions of my home State of 
Maryland. As my top environmental adviser, Mike has been vital to each 
of my environmental priorities, from climate change to the Chesapeake 
Bay. Mike is a substantive expert, a keen strategist, a wise counselor, 
and an attentive mentor and friend to my entire team. He is a diligent 
public servant who leads quietly, by example, with the strength of his 
knowledge and skill. As he retires after an exemplary career of 
service, I am pleased to pay public tribute to this remarkable man.
  Mike has devoted much of his career to protecting the natural 
splendor of Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic, particularly our iconic 
Chesapeake Bay. Before joining my team, Mike was associate director of 
the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay program. There, he 
dedicated himself to implementing solutions for the bay, which is the 
world's largest estuary, one of the most important water bodies in the 
Nation, and a natural resource that all Marylanders treasure. Shortly 
after I was sworn into the Senate, Mike joined my office as an EPA 
fellow. He demonstrated an incredible knowledge and understanding of 
the wide range of issues affecting Maryland, and I knew I needed to 
hire him as a permanent member of my staff. He brought his passion for 
the environment to his work in the Senate, skillfully leading efforts 
on environmental issues from Chesapeake Bay health to clean air, and 
from climate change to wildlife conservation. I will continue to fight 
hard for the issues and programs that Mike helped initiate.
  Mike knows the ecological importance of the Chesapeake Bay and the 
impediments harming the bay's ecology because he has seen it all and 
experienced it firsthand. From Poplar Neck to Elk Neck, from Catoctin 
Mountain to Calvert Cliffs, from the Nanticoke to the Pocomoke, from 
Rocky Gorge to Sandy Point, Mike has experienced the natural wonder of 
our great State. It is his deep appreciation for the importance of 
protecting our State's natural resources that has made him such a 
valuable member of my staff.
  In addition to his critical environmental work, Mike led my team in 
charge of instate projects. The key institutions of Maryland's public 
life our universities, our hospitals, our local governments, and 
community organizations have benefitted from Mike's expertise in 
navigating the legislative process and his commitment to fighting on 
behalf of the people of Maryland.
  Mike's substantive knowledge and political acumen extend well beyond 
the bay and Maryland. His policy expertise led Senator Barbara Boxer, 
the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, to ask me 
if I would ``lend'' Mike to her committee during the committee's 
arduous work on both the 2010 climate bill and the 2012 Transportation 
bill. While his full-time service to my office was missed during those 
periods, I was pleased to see how much my colleague from California 
valued Mike's input and skill, and I was happy to see him brought in to 
help the chairman with these important committee initiatives.
  In addition to his wealth of knowledge and strategic skill, Mike will 
be missed most of all for the warmth, integrity, and generosity of 
spirit that he brings to every encounter. When he first joined my 
office, he would occasionally send Maryland trivia questions around to 
the staff. His enthusiasm helped to broaden my team's--and even my 
own--knowledge of the great State of Maryland, and endeared him to 
everyone in the office. No matter how tough the circumstance and here 
in the Senate, we often face tough days--Mike is quick to declare with 
a smile that he has ``never had a bad day.'' He has committed himself 
to mentorship, voluntarily and enthusiastically spending hours working 
with more junior colleagues, guiding and advising them with a 
selflessness that is remarkable for being all too rare.
  During the years, I am proud to say that I have come to value Mike 
not just as a staff member, but as a friend. He and his wife Pat have 
become favorites within the Cardin team, and I am pleased to have this 
opportunity to acknowledge Pat publicly as well. Her strong commitment 
to Maryland is evident not only in her own work in children's health 
care, but in her support of Mike's efforts here in these Halls, and I 
thank her for her contribution to the people of Maryland.
  Mike's knowledge of the environmental issues of the day does not just 
stem from his professional experience, but also from his personal 
interest as an avid naturalist, bird watcher, kayaker, and overall 
lover of the outdoors. Mike is most at home among the natural spaces he 
treasures, either on the water in a sea kayak or walking along a nature 
trail. For several years, Mike has shared that passion with the 
community by writing a column featuring different species of Mid-
Atlantic native and migratory birds in the ``Chesapeake Bay Journal.'' 
As with everything he does, Mike's columns always manage to include 
some of the quiet wisdom that is uniquely his. In a column about the 
common song sparrow, a local bird that is often overlooked in favor of 
those with brighter colors and flashier songs, Mike urges his readers 
to look beyond the bird's plain exterior to appreciate its unique 
contribution to the natural community. His words manage to capture 
something about his own steady, unassuming service to those around him. 
Mike writes, ``We lead quiet lives until some rare person decides to 
listen with abiding patience, waiting for us to finally step out from 
behind protective cover and softly announce our presence. And then 
anonymity gives way to the individuality that has been there all 
along.'' For me, for my team, Mike has always been both the quiet 
presence and the patient listener, working with steady determination 
for the people of Maryland. As he looks forward to a retirement filled 
with relaxation and the outdoor recreation that he loves, I am humbly 
grateful for his service. He will be missed.

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