[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID STAMEY

 Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, today I have the distinct honor of 
recognizing David Stamey, chief of emergency services for Stillwater 
County, MT, for his dedication to keeping his community safe, no matter 
what disaster may ensue.
  David has served Stillwater County as the chief of emergency services 
for nearly a year and a half, and since assuming his position in April 
of 2022, he has managed several disasters that few county DES 
coordinators would see in a lifetime.
  Just 2 months after stepping into his role, David was tasked with 
responding to historic 500-year flooding throughout the region. When 
the substantial amount of snow and heavy rainfall from earlier that 
spring met the rapidly rising temperatures in June, the snowmelt and 
water runoff sparked immediate flooding throughout the Yellowstone 
Valley. Agricultural land, homes, roads, bridges, and critical 
infrastructure took a significant hit. The Sibanye-Stillwater Mine in 
Nye, the world's only viable platinum and palladium mining operation 
outside South Africa and Russia, was forced to suspend operations for 
roughly 6 weeks due to a road that provided entry to the mine being 
washed out. David continued to work tirelessly with local, State, and 
Federal partners to ensure the road would be restored in a timely 
manner and that his community at large remained on a swift path to 
recovery.
  Most recently, a portion of a train headed westbound near Reed Point 
derailed while crossing a bridge over the Yellowstone River. 
Thankfully, there were no reported injuries, but there were multiple 
railcars submerged in the river releasing asphalt downstream. About a 
week later, all of the railcars involved in the derailment were removed 
from the scene, and after just 28 days post outage, the bridge was 
newly constructed, allowing the first train to cross over safely as 
crews continue to work diligently to remove remaining asphalt from the 
river. Thanks to David's effective leadership and coordination within 
the Unified Command structure, train service was restored while never 
compromising anyone's health or safety.
  It is my distinct honor to recognize David Stamey for his unwavering 
commitment to keeping residents of Stillwater County safe. He has 
selflessly dedicated 30 years of his life to disaster and emergency 
services, and I am confident his passion and expertise in this field 
will benefit folks in Stillwater County and across the State of Montana 
for years to come. Thank you for your continued efforts to keep 
Montanans safe, David. You make Montana proud.

                          ____________________