University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Max S. Baucus Speeches Archives and Special Collections 5-19-1993 Tribute to Senator John Chafee, Environmental and Energy Study Institute Max S. Baucus Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/baucus_speeches Recommended Citation Baucus, Max S., "Tribute to Senator John Chafee, Environmental and Energy Study Institute" (May 19, 1993). Max S. Baucus Speeches. 512. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/baucus_speeches/512 This Speech is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives and Special Collections at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Max S. Baucus Speeches by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Printing, Graphics & Direct Mail ONBASE SYSTEM Indexing Form Senator * or Department*: BAUCUS Instructions: Prepare one form for insertion at the beginning of each record series. Prepare and insert additional forms at points that you want to index. For example: at the beginning of a new folder, briefing book, topic, project, or date sequence. Record Type*: Speeches & Remarks MONTH/YEAR of Records*: May-1 993 (Example: JANUARY-2003) (1) Subject*: Environmental & Energy Study Institute-Tribute to Senator John Chafee (select subject from controlled vocabulary, if your office has one) (2) Subject* DOCUMENT DATE*: 05/19/1993 (Example: 01/12/1966) * "required information" CLICK TO PRINT BAUCUS MAX BAUCUS, MONTANA, CHAIRMAN DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN, NEW YORK JOHN H. CHAFEE, RHODE ISLAND GEORGE F.MITCHELL, MAINE ALAN K. SIMPSON. WYOMING FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, NEW JERSEY DAVE DURENBERGER, MINNESOTA HARRY REID, NEVADA JOHN W. WARNER. VIRGINIA BOB GRAHAM, FLORIDA ROBERT SMITH, NEW HAMPSHIRE JOSEPH LLIEBERMAN, CONNECTICUT LAUCH FAIRCLOTH, NORTH CAROLINA HOWARD M. METZENBAUM, OHIO DIRK KEMPTHORNE, IDAHO HARRIS WOFFORD, PENNSYLVANIA BOXER, CALIFORNIA 1fBARBARA PETERL SCHER,STAFF DIRECTOR N7 STEVENJ. SHIMBERG.MINORITY STAFF DIRECTOR AND CHIEF COUNSEL ,U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRO MENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (202) 224-6176 Tribute to Senator John Chafee Remarks of Senator Max Baucus to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute C May 19, 1993 Introduction Thank you. It's always a pleasure to be work with the Institute, which makes such an important contribution to environmental policy. And it's a special pleasure to be here this evening, honoring a good friend. C Mind you, when I first came to the Senate, I never guessed that John Chafee and I would develop a close relationship. We were junior members of the Finance and the Environment and Public Works Committees, sitting way across the dais from one another. Our states and our backgrounds were very different. Montana has ranches bigger than Rhode Island. And Montanans think that a "blue-blooded Brahmin" isn't o someone you elect to the Senate, but something you ride in a rodeo. Nevertheless, circumstance and seniority brought us together. And, over the years, working with John Chafee has been an unanticipated delight. O Environmental Leadership His greatest impact has been on the Environment Committee, where he has continued the distinguished tradition of New England environmental leaders like Ed Muskie, Bob Stafford, and George Mitchell. 1 He's been responsible for some of the our most important environmental laws. The Clean Water Act of 1987; the Clean Air Act of 1990; the Oil Pollution Act; and the C Endangered Species Act. But to me, what distinguishes John Chafee is not the laws he's written, but the personal qualities he brings to the work of legislating. Three qualities stand out. The first is his toughness. John Chafee has a very refined, genteel style. But when it comes right down to it, he has more grit and determination than anyone I know. The Clean Air Act debate was the best example. We sat there in S-224, a small room just off the Senate floor, for what seemed like an eternity. Night after night. C Facing wave after wave of unhappy Senators. Until two or three in the morning. Rumaging through George Mitchell's office looking for a candy bar or a stale donut. Listening to Alan Simpson tell the same joke for the third or fourth time. When we took the bill to the Senate floor, we faced some pretty tough votes. In C fact, to protect our compromise, we had to vote against amendments that we personally supported, knowing full well that Bruce Babbitt would use the votes to trash our LCV ratings. Through it all, John never flinched. He never lost his energy or good humor. C And he never lost his determination to push on and get the job done. The second quality is his willingness to put politics aside for the common good. John Chafee doesn't want to make a speech or score partisan political points. He he C: wants to pass good laws that help people. We saw that in the early eighties, when stood up against his own Administration when it tried to undermine our environmental laws. We saw it during the Clean Air Act debate, when he persuaded President Bush and the Republican Conference to support a strong bilL. And I am confident that will see it again these next few years. As we address the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, Superfund, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and other environmental laws, John Chafee will not be trying to make speeches or score points. He'll be trying pass laws that protect the environment. The third quality is his deep commitment to the good old-fashioned conservation ethic. 2 I saw this first-hand back in 1985. We were having problems with the management of the grizzly bear population on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. So John decided to learn about the problem first hand. We held a hearing in Great Falls. John presided. But he didn't just fly in, hold the gavel for a few hours, and fly out. After the hearing, he went down to the Pine Butte Nature Preserve, to learn more about grizzlies and their habitat. He rode into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I must say that I have never seen anyone with more reverence and enthusiasm for the land and its natural beauty. In fact, at one point, John turned to me and said "Max, I wish Rhode Island had some wilderness, so that we could protect it." Conclusion C Rhode Island may not have any wilderness. But it does have a great environmental leader. Ironically, the words that describe John Chafee best may be words that he himself used in his first speech on the Senate floor, back in 1977. He was praising Vice C President Nelson Rockefeller. He said: When something needed to be done about mass transportation, you thought about it and did something about it. You thought about the need for clean water and did something about it. You thought about the need for additional parks ... and, you did something about it. So it goes, for better medical care, for [children]. On and on. Things that touch the ives [of people], not only today but for years in the future. The same words apply to John Chafee. He thought about the need to protect the environment. Then he did something about it. His good work will touch people's lives for years in the future. 3.