[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 101 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1080-E1081]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING KAREN L. PALLANSCH

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2014

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Karen L. 
Pallansch, Chief Executive Officer of Alexandria Renew Enterprises, on 
her election as President of the National Association of Clean Water 
Agencies (NACWA). Alexandria Renew is an independent government agency 
providing wastewater treatment services to the City of Alexandria and 
portions of Fairfax County, Virginia.
  Beyond her wealth of environmental and engineering experience, I 
commend Ms. Pallansch for embracing a collaborative approach to 
watershed-based solutions that have garnered broad support among the 
public, business, elected officials, regulators and policymakers.
  Ms. Pallansch is also a staunch and effective advocate for investing 
in our nation's aging and often deteriorating water infrastructure--
investments that convey both environmental and economic benefits and 
help communities across our great nation to grow and thrive. Ms. 
Pallansch believes--as I do--that great communities need and deserve 
great water infrastructure and great quality water.
  As the Chief Executive Officer of the former Alexandria Sanitation 
Authority (ASA)--the precursor to Alexandria Renew--Karen presided over 
the completion of the Authority's

[[Page E1081]]

awarding-winning Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility that led the 
way in meeting the gold standard for removing nitrogen--one of the 
culprits behind the declining health of the Chesapeake Bay. Always 
seeking to be a good neighbor, ASA put much of the facility underground 
so as not to detract from the City's beauty and bring an Old Town look 
to the business of water protection.
  When more stringent federal rules came along, Ms. Pallansch, working 
closely with her dedicated Board and staff, embarked on a massive 
State-of-the-Art Nitrogen Upgrade Program (SANUP) from which emerged 
the reimagining of what a wastewater treatment facility could be.
  More than having cutting-edge technology, the facility she manages 
offers community-friendly features, including a regulation soccer field 
open to the public on top of an 18 million gallon treatment system. 
Alexandria Renew is moving down a bold new path to greater 
sustainability, helping to build greener, more sustainable communities, 
and creating in her agency ``a utility of the future.''
  To reflect this broader enterprise, on Earth Day 2012, Ms. Pallansch 
announced that the Alexandria Sanitation Authority would be rebranded 
as Alexandria Renew Enterprises--the community's resource recovery 
center. The promise and synergy of this change are already being seen 
in a successful public-developer partnership that will create a vibrant 
new neighborhood from a dusty industrial area that was once an 
unregulated landfill for the City.
  Ms. Pallansch has a long and distinguished career in the water 
reclamation field. She began as a staff engineer, rising to several 
senior positions before accepting position of CEO where she is now 
responsible for a $40 million operating budget and a $220 million 
capital improvement plan.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, let me congratulate Karen Pallansch on her 
election as President of NACWA. As with Alexandria Renew Enterprises, I 
am sure she will lead the organization down a road marked by 
innovation, collaboration, progress and success. I wish her and NACWA 
the very best in their future endeavors.

                          ____________________