Mr.
BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today
to honor Rebecca K. Blood on
the occasion of her retirement from the American
Public Power Association (APPA) after
13 years of work to advance policies
of great importance to our Nation’s
economy and consumers. Throughout her
service on behalf of consumer-owned
utilities across the country, Ms.
Blood has been a highly effective
advocate of Federal policies that
promote the development of renewable
energy sources.
Ms. Blood has many important
successes to point to in her
distinguished career, including the
establishment of the Federal Renewable
Energy Production Incentive (REPI)
program in the Energy Policy Act of
1992, which was enacted due in large
part to her tenacious leadership. This
provision of the Act encouraged
significant new development of
renewable energy programs in public
power communities throughout the
country. As well, she has been an
important voice for sound Federal
licensing processes for our country’s
hydroelectric facilities, with the
goal of ensuring rigorous
environmental review within a workable
and timely agency process. Ms.
Blood has also been intricately
involved in clean air issues
throughout her career—and is
exceedingly knowledgeable of the
policy issues related to air emissions
and climate change. In all of these
areas, she has shown a great ability
to develop strong and successful
coalitions onbehalf of key consumer
and environmental interests.
A native daughter of the great State
of Michigan, Ms. Blood came to
Washington, DC as agraduate of
Michigan State University. In the
80’s, she served on the staff of
Michigan Senator Carl Levin and
Congressman Phil Sharp of Indiana. She
also worked tirelessly for the
two-term Governor Richard Celeste of
Ohio, during the development of the
Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1990, before
going on to make a career in the
electricity industry. Throughout her
remarkable career, Ms. Blood
has always made a point to mentor
others, who have greatly benefited
from her experience and insights.
Ms. Blood is well known in this
town for her integrity,
forthrightness, good humor, and
unwavering commitment to the many
public power communities across the
country that she has so ably
represented over the past 13 years. I
join her many dear friends and
colleagues here in Washington, DC in
expressing our gratitude for her
legacy of work and her steadfast
friendship—and wish her all the very
best in her future endeavors.
