[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24265]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING REBECCA K. BLOOD ON HER DISTINGUISHED CAREER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RICK BOUCHER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 28, 2005

  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to honor Rebecca K. 
Blood on the occasion of her retirement from the American Public Power 
Association (APPA) after 13 years of work to advance policies of great 
importance to our Nation's economy and consumers. Throughout her 
service on behalf of consumer-owned utilities across the country, Ms. 
Blood has been a highly effective advocate of Federal policies that 
promote the development of renewable energy sources.
  Ms. Blood has many important successes to point to in her 
distinguished career, including the establishment of the Federal 
Renewable Energy Production Incentive (REPI) program in the Energy 
Policy Act of 1992, which was enacted due in large part to her 
tenacious leadership.
  This provision of the Act encouraged significant new development of 
renewable energy programs in public power communities throughout the 
country. As well, she has been an important voice for sound Federal 
licensing processes for our country's hydroelectric facilities, with 
the goal of ensuring rigorous environmental review within a workable 
and timely agency process. Ms. Blood has also been intricately involved 
in clean air issues throughout her career--and is exceedingly 
knowledgeable of the policy issues related to air emissions and climate 
change. In all of these areas, she has shown a great ability to develop 
strong and successful coalitions on behalf of key consumer and 
environmental interests.
  A native daughter of the great State of Michigan, Ms. Blood came to 
Washington, DC as a graduate of Michigan State University. In the 80's, 
she served on the staff of Michigan Senator Carl Levin and Congressman 
Phil Sharp of Indiana. She also worked tirelessly for the two-term 
Governor Richard Celeste of Ohio, during the development of the Clean 
Air Act (CAA) of 1990, before going on to make a career in the 
electricity industry. Throughout her remarkable career, Ms. Blood has 
always made a point to mentor others, who have greatly benefited from 
her experience and insights.
  Ms. Blood is well known in this town for her integrity, 
forthrightness, good humor, and unwavering commitment to the many 
public power communities across the country that she has so ably 
represented over the past 13 years. I join her many dear friends and 
colleagues here in Washington, DC in expressing our gratitude for her 
legacy of work and her steadfast friendship--and wish her all the very 
best in her future endeavors.

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