[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING 2022 ``FORCE OF NATURE'' AWARD WINNER CAROL BROWNER

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2022

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Carol 
Browner, on being awarded the ``Force of Nature'' award by global non-
profit Pure Earth. Her lifetime of dedication to protecting the 
environment and fighting for vulnerable populations makes Ms. Browner a 
true force of nature. Her significant contributions to environmental 
progress and sustainability are worthy of commendation.
  Born in Miami, Florida, she is a graduate of the University of 
Florida and the University of Florida College of Law. At home in South 
Miami, Ms. Browner grew up around nature and developed her love and 
appreciation for our environment and their natural resources early on 
by spending time visiting the nearby Everglades. Her first role was in 
the Florida House of Representatives as General Counsel, working to 
revise the Conservation and Recreational Lands Program. She later moved 
to Washington, DC to advocate for the environment and ended up working 
on Capitol Hill. She worked for Senator Lawton Chiles, the Senate 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and as Legislative Director 
for Senator Al Gore. She then returned to her home state of Florida to 
serve as Secretary of Environmental Regulation.
  After the election of President Bill Clinton, Ms. Browner was 
nominated for the position of Environmental Protection Agency 
Administrator. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on January 
21, 1993. During this time, she notably helped strengthen the Clean Air 
Act and upped the United States position in the fight against global 
warming. After the end of the Clinton administration, she joined the 
Albright Group where she continued her works as an advocate for 
strengthening environmental regulations and fighting climate change. At 
the start of a new Democratic administration in 2009, President Barack 
Obama named her Director of the White House Office of Energy and 
Climate Change Policy. She helped negotiate the new automobile emission 
standards in 2009 and was a leader during the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil 
Spill of 2010. During the Obama administration, she secured a historic 
investment in clean energy and established the first ever greenhouse 
gas reduction standards. Ms. Browner now serves on the board of 
directors for environmental groups, including as Chair for the League 
of Conservation Voters.
  Ms. Browner's accomplishments are numerous and impactful, and in 
every place that she has served, she has done all in her power to 
create positive change and put beneficial climate policy in action. She 
has been on the front lines of environmental policy for the past three 
decades and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. She was named 
winner of the ``Force of Nature Award'' for this year because of her 
ongoing efforts to protect children from environmental hazards, and for 
her recent establishment of the Protecting Every Child's Potential lead 
contamination prevention initiative.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Carol 
Browner as this year's ``Force of Nature'' award winner. We are 
grateful for her continued work on behalf of our environment and 
congratulate her on this great honor.

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