[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 9 (Thursday, January 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ANDY BRUNELLE

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, along with my colleagues Senator Jim Risch, 
Representative  Mike Simpson, and Representative Russ Fulcher, I 
congratulate Andy Brunelle on his remarkable career in government 
service. Andy is retiring on January 31, 2022, after 27 years with the 
U.S. Forest Service.
  For more than 20 years, Andy has worked with our offices in his 
position as the Capitol City Coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service. 
In this position, he has represented both the U.S. Forest Service 
Region 1 and Region 4 and the seven National Forests in Idaho as he has 
served as a liaison working with State and local government officials, 
agency directors, Idaho's Congressional Delegation and interest groups 
in Idaho on issues of statewide concern. Given the importance of the 
natural resources and species habitat on the more than 20 million acres 
of federal forested land in Idaho he has acted on behalf of, Andy has 
worked on many challenging issues over the years. This includes working 
closely with our delegation concerning improving and extending the 
Secure Rural Schools program, a vital resource for Idahoans. We thank 
him for his thoughtful, helpful, and pragmatic work for the betterment 
of our great State and country.
  Andy began working for the U.S. Forest Service in 1995 after serving 
as Special Assistant for Natural Resources in the Office of Idaho 
Governor Cecil D. Andrus. From 1988 to 1995, he was the Governor's key 
staff person on a wide variety of natural resource issues, including 
challenging issues such as water quality, federal lands management, and 
protection of Snake River salmon. Additionally, he served on the 
Northwest Power Planning Council; Boise City Planning and Zoning 
Commission; and City of Boise advisory committees. Andy also dedicates 
considerable time to serving on boards of nonprofit organizations, 
including the Boise WaterShed Exhibits Environmental Education Center; 
Idaho Environmental Forum; Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited; 
and Harris Ranch Wildlife Mitigation Association.
  As we wish Andy well in his well-earned retirement, we express our 
deep gratitude for dedicating so much of his time and talents to 
enhancing, sustaining, and conserving such an essential part of our 
State's treasures. Thank you, Andy, for your decades of dedicated work 
and skilled problem-solving on behalf of Idahoans, and congratulations 
on your retirement.

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