[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22410]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO BRAYTON WILLIS

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in early 2007, the Army Corps of 
Engineers will see one of its finest employees retire after 28 years of 
exemplary service to individuals, communities, and agencies that the 
Corps serves.
  Brayton Willis has lived in Idaho since 1999, serving as the project 
manager in the Walla Walla District's Boise office. He served in the 
U.S. Marine Corps and later graduated from Northeastern University with 
a degree in civil engineering. His career began in Massachusetts where 
he worked on one of the first environmental impact statements required 
under the Clean Air Act.
  Brayton has worked for the Corps of Engineers in Arizona, Washington 
and South Carolina, in addition to his work in Idaho. Over the course 
of his career, he worked at two of the Nation's nuclear facilities 
providing environmental restoration support to the Department of 
Energy. He found time to use his expertise in a volunteer capacity as 
well, helping local communities in California and Puerto Rico assess 
damages after natural disasters. In Idaho, in particular, Brayton 
specialized in flood control and issues related to environmental 
improvement in urban and suburban flood-prone areas. He also worked 
with local communities to address the critical issues of water and 
wastewater management and actively sought to involve community 
stakeholders in flood control and environmental improvement. Brayton 
preferred to approach flooding and its implications in a preventive 
manner, before disaster happened. He worked under the firm belief that 
this method was the most effective and efficient use of taxpayer 
dollars.
  Brayton's work reflects the complementary ideals of caring for 
communities and the environment. Increased population growth in the 
West means greater and more sensitive interface between the environment 
and people. If managed effectively and proactively, the result can be 
positive for the environment and hold far less risk of disaster for the 
residential population. Brayton understands this and implemented it in 
his almost three decades of employment in the Corps. I congratulate 
Brayton Willis on his retirement and wish him and his wife Debbie well 
in future endeavors.

                          ____________________