[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 127 (Friday, August 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING MICHELLE REIMERS ON HER RETIREMENT AS THE TURLOCK 
                  IRRIGATION DISTRICT GENERAL MANAGER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN S. DUARTE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2024

  Mr. DUARTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Michelle Reimers, who 
recently retired as General Manager of the Turlock Irrigation District 
(TID).
  TID was founded in 1887, making it the oldest irrigation district in 
California. Today, TID provides water from Don Pedro Reservoir to over 
150,000 acres of farmland in Stanislaus and Merced counties through 250 
miles of canals. It is one of only four irrigation districts in 
California that provide retail electricity to homes, farms, and 
businesses in its service territory.
  Michelle was with TID for 18 years, starting with its public 
information operation, but through hard work and dedication to the 
District, she assumed various other leadership positions, culminating 
in becoming the first female General Manager in 2020. During her time 
leading the agency, she focused on transparency, collaboration, and 
commitment to its customers, but always prioritized ensuring that TID 
had water supplies to serve its communities, such as through creating 
new water rights for the District to capture flood flows on the 
Tuolumne River. In addition, under Michelle's leadership, TID 
electricity rates remained among the lowest in California, without 
wavering on reliability.
  Just three months into her role as General Manager, Michelle 
successfully navigated the most challenging pandemic of our time. 
Additionally, she led TID through extreme weather conditions, including 
the third direst three year stretch on record and then one of the 
wettest winters in history, and through significant wildfires multiple 
years in a row all the while maintaining the reliability our community 
expects and deserves. Michelle was also a driving force in the long-
term relicensing of the Don Pedro Project, a federally licensed water 
storage facility with hydroelectric energy generation on the Tuolumne 
River, with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
  Pragmatic and results oriented, Michelle would bring disparate groups 
together from the Environmental Defense Fund to the American Public 
Power Association to get the job done. While she encouraged 
collaboration, she never shied away from her main objective--to ensure 
our communities and farms had a reliable supply of water and power. And 
when she was not leading TID or representing the District in water-
related negotiations, she could be found growing walnuts and almonds on 
her farm.
  Michelle was a tireless advocate of our community and farmers and 
always led with the customer in mind. She should be proud of all she 
accomplished while leading TID and, as she begins this new chapter in 
her life, I am confident she will continue to make positive impacts in 
our Valley.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing a woman 
whose professionalism, passion, and determination has benefited many of 
the water and power users of California's San Joaquin Valley. It is 
both fitting and appropriate that we honor Michelle Reimers on her 
retirement from the Turlock Irrigation District. I want to wish 
Michelle and her family all the best as she embarks on this new phase 
of life.

                          ____________________