[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JANET COIT

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I rise today to honor Janet Coit, 
one of Rhode Island's most respected environmental advocates. Ms. Coit 
is the newly appointed Assistant Administrator for the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service. She 
joined NOAA after a decade of committed service leading the Rhode 
Island Department of Environmental Management under three Governors.
  After graduating from Dartmouth College and Stanford Law School, 
where Ms. Coit was a member of the Environmental Law Journal, she 
served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and 
Public Works. She went on to serve as counsel and environmental 
coordinator for the late Senator John Chafee and, subsequently, his son 
Senator Lincoln Chafee.
  Ms. Coit then returned to Rhode Island and began a decade of work as 
the State director for the Nature Conservancy, where she oversaw some 
of the State's largest land conservation projects.
  Ms. Coit went on to be appointed by Governor Lincoln Chafee to serve 
as director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. 
Governors Raimondo and McKee wisely kept her in that position. Her 
legacy at DEM includes streamlined permitting processes, new 
opportunities for families to connect with nature, and improved 
customer service. As the longest serving chief executive in DEM's 
history, she focused on public parks, promoting local food systems, 
Rhode Island's fishing and shellfish industries, and climate solutions. 
She seized opportunities to coordinate regional efforts, including 
addressing equity and justice issues, improving water quality, managing 
PFAS contamination, and fighting the climate crisis. In this capacity, 
she also served as chair of the Rhode Island Executive Climate Change 
Coordinating Council and on the board of directors for the Regional 
Greenhouse Gas Initiative. She has received numerous awards for her 
outstanding contributions at DEM.
  In June, the Biden-Harris administration appointed Ms. Coit to lead 
NOAA Fisheries, where she oversees fisheries management, protected 
species, and fisheries habitat conservation. She also serves as the 
Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and 
Deputy Administrator, supporting and managing NOAA's coastal and marine 
programs.
  We are fortunate that exceptional people like Ms. Coit choose to 
dedicate their careers to public service. I am proud to recognize her 
today and thank her for her many contributions to the State of Rhode 
Island and the Nation.

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