[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26789]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF SVEND AUKEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 4, 2009

  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, today I honor the memory of Svend Auken, a 
dear friend of mine, a great statesman, and an international leader on 
environment and energy issues. He passed away this past August after a 
magnificently robust life of leadership. He served in the Danish 
Parliament from 1971 until his death, and was Minister for the 
Environment from 1993 to 1994, and Minister of Environment and Energy 
from 1994 to 2001. Earlier in his life, he spent time in my home State 
of Washington, studying for a year at Washington State University in 
1961.
  Whatever his position, he was always a determined advocate for clean 
energy and the environment. His leadership has been an inspiration for 
the world. Svend did not believe in the idea that preserving the 
environment required sacrificing economic growth. He believed that his 
Nation could prosper by protecting the environment, or as he put it, 
``doing well by doing good.''
  Due to his inspired leadership over more than three decades, Denmark 
introduced new policies and embarked on a national effort to produce 
more domestic energy and do it cleanly by focusing on energy 
efficiency, wind power and combined heat and power systems. Since then, 
Denmark has kept its energy use flat, while its economy has grown 
nearly 75 percent. Denmark was once entirely dependent on foreign 
energy, but is now a net exporter of energy. Denmark has aggressive 
energy efficiency standards for new buildings, and currently produces 
over 20 percent of its power from wind, and over half of its 
electricity and around 60 percent of its heat from combined heat and 
power. Denmark is now a world leader in both of these technologies. As 
our Nation embarks on its own quest to produce clean, domestic energy, 
grow our economy, and preserve the environment for our children and 
grandchildren, we would do well to follow Svend's lead and learn from 
his life. When we in America adopt a vision of clean energy, it will be 
in part because we have been inspired by Svend's leadership.
  This Friday, the Danish community in Seattle will honor Svend's life 
at a memorial service. As I remember my friend, I will remember his 
vitality, his sense of humor, his devotion to service, and most of all, 
his leadership and inspiration. We should all remember Svend Auken as a 
great citizen of the world.

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