[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17454-17455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JEFF SHIELDS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 4, 2015

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor South 
San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Jeff Shields on his 
retirement; and to personally thank him for his many years of profound 
service to South San Joaquin County.
  While attending college at Humboldt State University, Jeff studied 
biological science and

[[Page 17455]]

natural resources management and graduated with his Bachelor's of 
Science degree. He has also invested time serving our great nation in 
the U.S. Air Force.
  Working as the general manager for other irrigation companies, such 
as Emerald Public Utility District in Oregon and Trinity Public Utility 
District in Northern California, amply prepared Jeff for his extensive 
role at South San Joaquin Irrigation District. He began with the 
company in June of 2004, and after 3 short years was appointed as the 
general manager.
  During Jeff's tenure with South San Joaquin Irrigation District, he 
was instrumental in implementing successful advances to the region. A 
solar farm was built to provide power to the Nick C. DeGroot Water 
Treatment Plant which supplies the drinking water to Manteca, Lathrop 
and Tracy at a minimum cost. In addition, an award winning, state of 
the art pressurized water delivery system was built called the Division 
9 Irrigation Enhancement Project. This project has received numerous 
state, national, and international awards and recognition.
  One of Jeff's most notable contributions was successfully getting the 
approval for South San Joaquin Irrigation District to become the retail 
electric provider in its service territory. Because of this 
accomplishment, all current PG&E customers in Escalon, Manteca and 
Ripon will see a 15% rate discount. This is a great triumph for the 
citizens of South San Joaquin County.
  With California experiencing its fourth consecutive year in a serious 
drought, Jeff has expertly managed the irrigation district through its 
most difficult water delivery year in the district's history. He is 
implementing a succession plan that would assure a smooth transition to 
new management as they continue to work through the severe drought. 
Jeff plans on continuing his active involvement in water and energy 
issues.
  Being involved in the community is important to Jeff, as he is a 
member of the Manteca Rotary Club and a director for the Give Every 
Child a Chance organization. He is on the board of The Utility Reform 
Network, as well as the board of the Local Energy Aggregation Network.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring and commending the 
outstanding contributions made to the South San Joaquin County 
Irrigation District by the General Manager Jeff Shields. We wish him 
continued success in his retirement and his future endeavors.

                          ____________________