[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16633]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING ELIZABETH ANN ``BETSY'' RIEKE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Ms. Betsy Rieke, a 
woman who has served my State and the West for nearly three decades. 
Like many of us in this body, Ms. Rieke is an attorney. Her specialty 
has been water issues, and, as many of my colleagues know well, being a 
water lawyer in the West is not a job for the faint of heart.
  Ms. Rieke's experience in water law began in Arizona, where she 
served as Chief Legal Counsel and Director for the Department of Water 
Resources under former Gov. Bruce Babbit. Ms. Rieke then served as an 
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science in the 
Clinton administration. During her tenure, she helped negotiate the 
1994 CALFED Bay-Delta Accord in California. This landmark agreement 
brought together numerous Federal, State, and local agencies and 
environmental enthusiasts to resolve a looming environmental and 
economic crisis. Honored several times for her important role in 
securing this accord, she did so in her trademark fashion--by bringing 
people together, leading difficult discussions, and helping parties 
find solutions to meet the community's diverse interests and goals.
  In 1998, Ms. Rieke brought her expertise to Northern Nevada where she 
serves as the area manager for the Lahontan Area Office of the Bureau 
of Reclamation. In such an arid place, she's been responsible for 
irrigation, wetland restoration, wildlife protection, and maintaining 
drinking water for one of the fastest growing regions in the country. 
Like she did in Arizona and California, Ms. Rieke showed great 
leadership as she brought many Federal, State, municipal, tribal, 
public and private interests together to reach the historic Truckee 
River Operating Agreement to be signed next month--an issue close to me 
and important to many Nevadans.
  I also appreciate her work with others to preserve and restore 
Nevada's desert terminal lakes, their wildlife, and habitats. She has 
fostered relationships and cobbled together agreements that have 
improved Pyramid Lake, and she has advised me on ways to restore Walker 
Lake. While many people have been working very hard, for many years, to 
restore Nevada's unique natural resources, Ms. Rieke's determination, 
focus, and tireless efforts provided leadership for these efforts.
  I extend my most sincere gratitude to Betsy. Nevadans are certainly 
fortunate to have had such a talented, skilled, and committed 
individual working on their behalf.

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