Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to pay tribute to Mollie Beattie, who embodied the best of government service--diplomatic, creative, dedicated…”

“I rise to pay tribute to Mollie Beattie, who embodied the best of government service--diplomatic, creative, dedicated and thoughtful. Mollie, who recently stepped down as Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, passed away last night, after a courageous fight with brain cancer. When Mollie joined the national political fray as Director about 3 years ago, no doubt she knew what she was in for. She knew she was jumping into a portfolio of among the most contentious national issues--administration and reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act, the Pacific Northwest forest issue, and wetlands and habitat protection, to name a few. She didn't back down. Instead, she charged ahead, viewing her role as a consensus builder, a communicator, an advocate, and a pioneer towards a new way of doing business. She cared deeply about our Nation's fish, our wildlife, our open spaces, our forests, indeed, all our natural resources. Her depth of feeling and dedication gave her the strength to approach her role as Director with vitality and optimism, even in the face of increased budget cuts and intensified public scrutiny.”