[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 51 (Monday, March 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1932-S1933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO PATRICK TYRRELL

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today I recognize the distinguished 
career of Pat Tyrrell. After more than 18 years of service, Pat is 
retiring as Wyoming's longest serving State engineer.
  A Wyoming native, Pat grew up in Cheyenne. He attended the University 
of Wyoming in Laramie where he obtained a B.S. in mechanical 
engineering and an M.S. in civil engineering. He began his time in 
public service in 2001 when Governor Jim Geringer appointed Pat as 
Wyoming's State Engineer. During his tenure, he served under four 
Governors and became well known in the State, region, and Nation as an 
expert on all matters related to water resources.
  Established under Wyoming's Constitution, the State engineer serves 
as the chief water official in Wyoming. With Wyoming situated astride 
the Continental Divide, the State provides the headwaters for four 
major river basins in the Western United States.
  Charged with the regulation and administration of the water resources 
in Wyoming, Pat's duties as State engineer ranged from overseeing the 
permitting and adjudication of water rights, regulation of the use of 
water under the doctrine of prior appropriation, and representing the 
State on numerous boards, compacts, and commissions. These included 
Wyoming's commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission, the 
North Platte Decree Committee, Western States Water Council, and the 
Colorado River Salinity Control Forum. He often served in leadership 
roles and worked in cooperation with the other 17 Western States to 
manage and develop water resources.
  Pat is known for his balanced approach to water resource management, 
ensuring compliance with the law while also protecting the interests of 
Wyoming water users. His expertise and influence were instrumental in 
resolving decades-long problems, such as the Big Horn General 
Adjudication.
  As State engineer, he waded through thousands of water rights in the 
Big Horn Basin to bring clarity and certainty to Federal, Tribal, and 
State interests in the area and ultimately saw the end to a 37-year 
lawsuit. Pat's reflection on this case was emblematic of his philosophy 
to water management: ``If we can move water without any ill effect to 
existing users, we can make changes. But we need everybody at the 
table.''
  Shortly after I joined the U.S. Senate, I experienced this philosophy 
firsthand. It was during a critical point in passing the Craig Thomas 
Snake Headwaters Legacy Act that Pat met in my office with key players 
who were negotiating the final language of the bill. With his calm 
demeanor and extraordinary understanding of Western water law, he was 
able to provide clarity to the meaning of certain text in the bill and 
assuage all in the room of the practicality of what the text said and 
what was contemplated. Shortly thereafter, agreement was reached, and 
the bill was signed into law. It became clear to me that one of Pat's 
greatest skills is he builds trust through his knowledge of the law and 
how it is applied and is able to accurately articulate how that 
application will or will not impact people's lives.
  Pat has used this philosophy in interstate water negotiations. Known 
as the senior statesman on the river, Pat has been instrumental in many 
of the key decisions related to management of the Colorado River. Time 
after time, Pat has sought cooperation and coordination to balance the 
various needs and demands on the river. From hydropower production and 
ecosystem protection, to water storage and water delivery obligations, 
Pat has been instrumental in crafting creative solutions to ensure all 
needs are met.
  In the face of nearly two decades of drought in the Colorado River 
basin, his expertise has been invaluable. He was instrumental in 
implementing the river's 2007 Guidelines and has been intimately 
engaged in development of the current Colorado River Drought 
Contingency Plan, which is currently being debated in Congress. As 
Wyoming's representative on the river, Pat focused on ensuring the 
needs met by the Colorado River today will be maintained for future 
generations.
  In the same way Pat has looked out for Wyoming's future water needs, 
he has also sought to care for the development of Wyoming's future 
leaders. Late last year, he and his wife Barbara established a 
scholarship fund at the University of Wyoming to provide future 
students an education in engineering. Expertise and education in water 
management in States like Wyoming is invaluable, and we can only hope 
for more leaders like Pat.
  Pat's service has reached every corner of the State. The history 
books will note his involvement in the 2001 Modified North Platte 
Decree, the Yellowstone River compact, which involved an 11-year 
Supreme Court lawsuit with the State of Montana, and many other

[[Page S1933]]

accomplishments, but those who worked with him will remember and 
hopefully carry on his gentle nature, deliberate thinking, and 
dedication to the law.
  I invite all members of the Senate to join me in congratulating Pat 
in his retirement, wishing him well and his family much success in the 
future.

                          ____________________