[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO RICHARD C. CRAWFORD

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Richard C. 
Crawford who retires June 1 following a career devoted to public power, 
in the Tennessee Valley, that spans four decades. Mr. Crawford's 
retirement as president and chief executive officer of the Tennessee 
Valley Public Power Association, and before that as a vice president 
for the Tennessee Valley Authority, brings to a close a distinguished 
career of advocacy for public power.
  Dick Crawford's contributions to public power are recognized not only 
in Tennessee and in the Tennessee Valley region, but across the entire 
country. While at TVA he was responsible for technological improvements 
to the utility's transmission system that resulted in enhanced electric 
reliability. He was also a leader in the development TVA's highly 
acclaimed energy conservation and efficiency programs, which were 
modeled by other electric utilities around the Nation. He worked with 
distributors of TVA power to overhaul the power contracts and helped 
introduce innovative pricing and economic development products, 
including one of the first and largest real-time pricing programs, and 
incentive rates to help attract industry to the Tennessee Valley.
  Mr. Crawford's contributions to public power continued when he joined 
the staff of TVPPA in 1994. Initially, he served as director of power 
supply services before becoming acting executive director, and later 
president and chief executive officer. The knowledge he gained at TVA 
about the Valley's unique power supply needs and the distributors who 
deliver the power to the Valley's 8.3 million consumers made him a 
perfect choice to head TVPPA during a critical time in its history.
  With a strong belief in public power, Mr. Crawford worked tirelessly 
to re-establish critical relationships and re-open communication doors. 
Under his leadership, TVPPA embarked on aggressive programs in 
governmental relations, communication, and education and training. In 
addition, he has spearheaded efforts to secure additional power supply 
options for distributors. Working with his board of directors, he 
successfully revamped TVPPA's dues structure and established additional 
levels of membership that expand the reach of public power.
  Throughout his career, he has received the support of his family, 
including wife, Lane, daughter, Angela, and grandson, Blake.
  Honoring Dick Crawford in this way serves as a lasting tribute, just 
as his engineering and technical skills are a lasting gift to power 
consumers in the Tennessee Valley. I thank him for his service, and I 
wish him all the best in his retirement.

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