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Congressional Record article 3 of 50         Full Display - 4,499 bytes.[Help]      

TRIBUTE TO BRIAN KUEHL -- (Senate - December 14, 2000)

[Page: S11784]  GPO's PDF

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    Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to a key member of my staff, Brian Kuehl. I will deeply miss Brian, both professionally and personally.

   Brian has worked for me for four years, most recently as my Legislative Director, and before that as Acting Chief of Staff and as a senior Legislative Assistant. He gave his heart and soul to me, to his colleagues, and, most importantly, to the people of Montana. During this time, he has proven himself to be a consensus builder--a tireless professional who brings together people with diverse points of view and who solves problems in innovative ways. He is fair-minded, balanced, creative, and a leader in every sense of the word.

   Wallace Stegner defined himself as a citizen of the West. Brian fits that mold. Brian came to me from Bozeman, Montana. He attended law school in Colorado and has family roots in Utah and throughout the northwest. His wife is a fifth generation Wyoming native

[Page: S11785]  GPO's PDF
and daughter of former Governor Mike Sullivan. In fact, they are moving to Sheridan, Wyoming, where they will soon have their first child.

   As a citizen of the West, Brian has chosen to tackle those issues that most often divide westerners--natural resources, energy, and the environment. Time and again, his ability to bring people together has demonstrated that the West need not be divided on these issues--that we can and must work together if we are to build a sustainable region with a society as inspiring as our landscape.

   Let me mention a few examples of the significant solutions that Brian has helped forge over the last four years.

   When Brian joined me in the spring of 1997, he had just helped broker a compromise among the White House, regional conservation organizations, and a large mining company, Battle Mountain Gold, that would conserve an area next to Cooke City, Montana, right on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. The proposed New World gold mine had been immensely controversial, with the project expected to generate millions of tons of acidic mine waste . Across the West, controversies such as this usually drag on endlessly, dividing communities and draining resources.

   Brian had worked closely with all the actors while he was in the non-profit sector. His first task in my office was to help secure approval of this agreement in the Congress. In the end, Congress funded the public commitment and also agreed to invest funds to rehabilitate the Going-to-the-Sun Road to compensate local communities for lost economic opportunities.

   What a great start to Brian's tenure here.

   In 1997 and 1998, Brian helped me pass legislation to complete the final phase of the Gallatin II Land Exchange--one of the most complex and multifaceted land exchanges ever completed by the Forest Service. Brian worked tirelessly with all of the interests in this exchange--sportsmen, conservationists, the snowmobile community, the timber industry, local ranchers, and local homeowners. Ultimately, the Gallatin II Land Exchange became law. We secured a tremendous resource for our children and grandchildren. And every interest concerned supported the compromises that Brian helped forge.

   In 1998, Brian helped me with legislation on another series of land exchanges near Helena, Montana, at the Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Working with the cabin owners and local sportsmen, Brian helped me create a novel arrangement that was supported by everyone involved.

   These are just a few illustrations of the many significant contributions Brian Kuehl has made to me and to the people of Montana. I thank Brian for those contributions. I thank him for serving as role model for the younger staff in my office. I thank him for his service as a key advisor to me.

   Albert Einstein once said, ``Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.'' Well, Brian has demonstrated both success and value over the past four years. I wish the best for Brian, his wife Michelle, and their soon to be born child.



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