[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 56 (Thursday, March 30, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        TRIBUTE TO GARY PETERSEN

 Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to a 
dear friend, honorable servicemember, and dedicated public servant. On 
March 3, Gary Petersen retired from over a half-century career of 
private and public service supporting scientific achievement and 
advocacy for the people of my home State of Washington. Gary has worked 
tirelessly to support the Hanford cleanup and the Pacific Northwest 
National Laboratory, PNNL, and has undoubtedly bolstered our Nation's 
security during the 52 years that he has lived and worked in the Tri-
Cities.
  Gary and I have collaborated closely many times over the years on 
many projects. Most recently, he played a key role in organizing the 
energy workforce roundtable held at PNNL with Department of Energy 
Secretary Moniz in August of last year. Gary has been a steadfast 
advocate for cleaning up the Hanford site, funding for the world-class 
research and development at PNNL, and for the continued growth of the 
Volpentest HAMMER Training Center at the Hanford site. I am confident 
that Washington State, and especially the Tri-Cities, would not be as 
well positioned to tackle our Nation's future energy challenges if not 
for over 50 years of Gary Petersen's tireless work.
  Originally from Omak, a small city located in Okanogan County, Gary 
joined the Army and was stationed in the Tri-Cities in January 1960. 
After a duty station transfer to Korea, Gary returned and graduated 
with a communications degree from Washington State University. Shortly 
after graduation, Gary started with Battelle, a company that had a 
contract for a research and development lab located at Hanford. That 
lab provided crucial services during the Cold War and is now known as 
PNNL. Gary went on to work for Westinghouse on the Fast Flux Test 
Facility, the Washington Public Power Supply System, and spent time 
with the International Nuclear Safety Program, a cooperative nuclear 
energy safety effort between the U.S. and Soviet Union. After retiring 
from Battelle in 2002, Gary served on the Tri-City Development Council, 
TRIDEC, an organization dedicated to improving the economic health of 
the Tri-Cities area.
  During his 14 years at TRIDEC, Gary has been a relentless supporter 
for DOE's missions at Hanford and PNNL and a champion for the larger 
Tri-City community and our State by ensuring important projects 
received needed Federal resources. Gary is the type of constituent 
every member hopes to have in their communities back home--a very 
involved citizen. He has been a strong advocate for the issues that 
matter to the people of Washington while also understanding the 
importance of communicating with his political representatives. My 
relationship with Gary has been invaluable, and he has been 
instrumental in many of my proudest career accomplishments.
  Gary shares my vision for why establishing the Manhattan Project 
National Historical Park was so important. We worked together for many 
years to champion and ultimately see the creation of the Manhattan 
Project National Historical Park. The legislation I authored preserved 
the central landmark of the Hanford site and the park, the B Reactor, 
the first full-scale plutonium production nuclear reactor ever built 
and a tremendous technological achievement for its time. The park also 
includes the Bruggemann Agricultural Warehouse, the White Bluffs Bank, 
the historic Hanford High School, and the Hanford Irrigation District's 
Allard Pump House. Visitors from 70 countries have already visited the 
B Reactor, demonstrating the uniqueness of the park and the curiosity 
people have about this chapter of American and world history. We all 
owe Gary a debt of gratitude for the establishment of this park.
  Today the Tri-Cities is home to a vibrant agricultural industry, some 
of the best healthcare available, two colleges that are training 
workers to meet the varied needs of the region's businesses, increasing 
wine tourism, and a newly expanded airport. Gary has touched all of 
these projects and many more.
  I am incredibly proud to have worked with Gary and to call him a 
friend. Gary, thank you for all of your years of advocacy for the Tri-
Cities. I join Washingtonians in thanking him for his longstanding 
service and wish him and his wife, Margaret, all the best in the 
future.

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