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May 23, 2012: Congressional Record publishes “TRIBUTE TO JAMES HANLON”

Volume 158, No. 75 covering the 2nd Session of the 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“TRIBUTE TO JAMES HANLON” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S3511-S3512 on May 23, 2012.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

TRIBUTE TO JAMES HANLON

Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize Mr. James A. Hanlon, who is retiring this month after nearly 40 years of Federal service at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Jim has spent his long and distinguished career at EPA focusing on water quality issues and helping States and communities comply with Federal clean water requirements. He began his career at EPA as a staff engineer in September 1972, 1 month prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act, and has served in a number of senior positions within the Office of Water and Office of Research and Development.

Although he has many accomplishments, I want to particularly acknowledge Jim's role in managing the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, a program that has been so important to my home State of Rhode Island.

Jim was there at the program's inception, working for several years to design and lead the implementation of the program after it was first created by Congress in 1987. A decade ago, he was appointed Director of the Office of Wastewater Management, where he has continued to manage the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program and to oversee EPA's broader wastewater regulatory portfolio. Thanks in large part to his leadership, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program has successfully provided more than $90 billion nationwide to date to fund critical water infrastructure improvements through Federal grants and contributions from State matching funds and leveraging.

For the past several years, Jim has also served as an important resource to the Senate Committee on Appropriations on wastewater policy issues. I am particularly grateful for the assistance he provided to implement the critical $4 billion investment in wastewater projects included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With Jim's guidance, EPA and the States worked to get an unprecedented 1,870 clean water projects under contract within a year of the law's passage, including ten in my home State. His experience and guidance will be missed.

I congratulate Jim on a job well done. He leaves a proud and enduring legacy of public service.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 158, No. 75