January 7, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S163 

Section Program or entity State Principal sponsor of Senate bill in 110th Cong. (or requester) 

2501(b) .......................... Rio Puerco Watershed ........................................................................................................................................................... NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 

7101(c) .......................... Keweenaw National Historical Park ...................................................................................................................................... MI .......................................... Levin 

7111 ............................... Women’s Rights National Historical Park ............................................................................................................................. NY .......................................... Clinton 

7405(g) .......................... St. Augustine Commemoration Commission ......................................................................................................................... FL ........................................... Martinez/Nelson 

8001(h) .......................... Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area ............................................................................................................................. CO .......................................... Salazar/Allard 

8002(h) .......................... Cache La Poudre National Heritage Area ............................................................................................................................. CO .......................................... Allard/Salazar

8003(h) .......................... South Park National Heritage Area ....................................................................................................................................... CO .......................................... Salazar 

8004(h) .......................... Northern Plains National Heritage Area ............................................................................................................................... ND .......................................... Dorgan/Conrad 

8005(h) .......................... Baltimore National Heritage Area ......................................................................................................................................... MD ......................................... Mikulski/Cardin 8006(i) ........................... Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area ................................................................................................................................ MA & NH ............................... Kerry 

8007(h) .......................... Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area .............................................................................................................................. MS ......................................... Cochran 8008(h) .......................... Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area ............................................................................................................................. MS ......................................... Cochran 8009(i) ........................... Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area ................................................................................................................................. AL .......................................... none 8010(h) .......................... Kenai Mountains—Turnagain Arm NHA ............................................................................................................................... AK .......................................... Murkowski 8201(c) .......................... Quinebaug & Shetucket Nat. Heritage Corridor ................................................................................................................... CN .......................................... Dodd 9001(c) .......................... Snake, Boise & Payette River Systems Study ...................................................................................................................... ID ........................................... Craig 

9002(b) .......................... Sierra Vista Subwatershed Study ......................................................................................................................................... AZ .......................................... Kyl/McCain 9003(c) .......................... San Diego Intertie Study ....................................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... none 9101(c) .......................... Tumalo Irrigation Project ...................................................................................................................................................... OR .......................................... Smith/Wyden 

9102(d) .......................... Madera Water Supply Project ................................................................................................................................................ CA .......................................... Feinstein 9103(e) .......................... Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Project ............................................................................................................................. NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 9105(b) .......................... Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation Project ................................................................................................................................... CO .......................................... Salazar/Allard 9106(g) .......................... Rio Grande Pueblos ............................................................................................................................................................... NM ......................................... Bingaman 

9108(j) ........................... Santa Margarita River .......................................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... none 9109(a) .......................... Elsinore Valley Municpal Water District ............................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... none 9110(a) .......................... North Bay Water Reuse Authority ......................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... Feinstein/Boxer 9111(a) .......................... Prado Basin Treatment Project ............................................................................................................................................. CA .......................................... Feinstein 9112(b) .......................... Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin ............................................................................................................................................ CA .......................................... Feinstein 9114(a) .......................... Yucaipa Valley Water District ............................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... none 9301(3) .......................... San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund .................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... none 10009 ............................. San Joaquin Restoration Settlement ..................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... Feinstein/Boxer 10203 ............................. Friant Division Improvements ............................................................................................................................................... CA .......................................... Feinstein/Boxer 10501 ............................. Reclamation Water Settlement Funds .................................................................................................................................. NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 10609 ............................. (a) Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project ............................................................................................................................... NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 10609(b) ........................ San Juan Conjunctive Use Wells .......................................................................................................................................... NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 10609(c) ........................ San Juan River Irrigation Projects ........................................................................................................................................ NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 10609(d) ........................ Other Irrigation Projects ........................................................................................................................................................ NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 

10702(f) ......................... Navajo Nation Water Trust Fund .......................................................................................................................................... NM ......................................... Bingaman/Domenici 10807(b) ........................ Duck Valley Development Fund ............................................................................................................................................. NV .......................................... Reid/Ensign 10807(c) ........................ Duck Valley Maintenance Fund ............................................................................................................................................. NV .......................................... Reid/Ensign 12107 ............................. National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology .................................................................................................... MS ......................................... Reid (Cochran) 

13006 ............................. National Tropical Botanical Garden ...................................................................................................................................... HI ........................................... Akaka 15101 ............................. Smithsonian Institution Mathias Laboratory ........................................................................................................................ MD ......................................... Leahy (Dodd) 

15102 ............................. Smithsonian Institution Panama Laboratory ........................................................................................................................ Panama ................................. Leahy (Dodd) 

15103 ............................. Smithsonian Institution greenhouse ..................................................................................................................................... MD ......................................... Reid (Leahy/Dodd) 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in midJune, I asked Idahoans to share with 

me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded by 

the hundreds. The stories, numbering 

well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and 

touching. While energy prices have 

dropped in recent weeks, the concerns 

expressed remain very relevant. To respect the efforts of those who took the 

opportunity to share their thoughts, I 

am submitting every e-mail sent to me 

through an address set up specifically 

for this purpose to the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD. This is not an issue that will 

be easily resolved, but it is one that deserves immediate and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. 

Their stories not only detail their 

struggles to meet everyday expenses 

but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what Congress can 

do now to tackle this problem and find 

solutions that last beyond today. I ask 

unanimous consent to have today’s letters printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

Thank you for your newsletter regarding 

the current problem of gasoline prices. I am 

a widow living on Social Security income. 

My car is a 1981 Volvo. Driving my car has 

almost come to a standstill. I drive only for 

necessities. I feel like a bear hibernating 

over the winter. The idea of buying a new car 

with better mileage is out of the question for 

me. 

As to the things our Nation should be 

doing—these include drilling for oil wherever 

available, using oil shale, developing nuclear 

power, windmills, biofuels. Using corn for 

ethanol is the craziest idea of all. The commodities market is hitting new highs almost 

daily. With the floods in Iowa, we cannot afford to use corn for oil. The animals that 

need corn for food are affecting our prices in 

the grocery store. Get rid of regulations that 

cause energy companies to take years to develop energy or cause no action because of 

the red tape of government. 

Blaming the oil companies for so-called obscene profits is nonsense. Taxes on gasoline 

are more than profits per gallon of gas that 

the oil companies collect. Exxon has even 

said that they are closing some stations because of non profit. It is sad that many do 

not understand the basics of economics. 

The American public has spoken. Stop listening to the environmentalists. Because 

there has been no foresight, we are suffering 

now for the lack of action by those in the 

past who we elected to represent us. Both 

parties are responsible, but blaming does not 

get the job done. 

It is embarrassing to read that France has 

developed their nuclear power while we just 

sit and talk about it. It is sad knowing that 

foreign countries are acquiring leases to drill 

for oil in our backyard, while we just sit and 

watch what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico 

and grumble about it. It is humiliating to 

hear those who say we are becoming a third 

world nation. Americans are known for their 

innovation. 

Gasoline prices are affecting food prices, 

small businesses and the cost of all goods 

and services. Independent truckers are suffering. We rely on them for delivery of our 

food and goods to market. If their numbers 

decrease because of their cost of doing business, it will cause an additional increase in 

prices or possibly the disappearance of some 

goods. I do not think we want that to happen 

to our food supplies. 

The time has come to act. Now is the time. 

We must not waste time. The public is begging for some common sense to solve these 

problems. Egos must be ignored lest we suffer more. Corporate America knows how to 

solve these problems. Do not hinder them 

any more with government red tape. 

LAVERGNE, Hayden. 

Our family lives about 30 miles from Idaho 

Falls where we do most of our business. My 

daughter and I also drive about 32 miles each 

way to our places of work so we are impacted 

every day. Our best guess is that we are 

spending about $400 per month more now 

than we did when gas was $2 per gallon. So 

far our response has been to curtail vacation 

traveling and reduce other unnecessary purchases. 

Solutions (in order of preference): 

1. Pursue increased domestic oil drilling 

including off-shore and ANWR and encourage 

construction of more refineries. I believe environmental concerns have been greatly exaggerated and need to be evaluated based on 

their cost effectiveness relative to their impact on the cost of living versus risk to our 

quality of life. 

2. Pursue alternative energy sources only 

as far they are cost-effective. If bio-fuels 

need to be subsidized in order to maintain 

production, they are obviously not cost-effective. 

3. Pursue nuclear power generation (we are 

20 years behind). There is also potential for 

hydrogen as a by-product that could be used 

as an alternative to gasoline. I have doubts 

about wind generation as a cost-effective alternative energy source, and I personally do 

not care for it is adverse effect on the natural beauty of Idaho’s landscapes. 

4. Pursue improved coal-fired electrical 

generation. I also have serious concerns regarding the apparent race to reduce CO2

emissions at any cost when there is so little 

real evidence that proves a correlation with 

global warming (also unverified). 

5. Encourage more mass transit systems in 

our larger cities and offer incentives for 

their use. I was in San Diego, California last 

week and the traffic was absolutely mindboggling. 

6. Encourage better individual planning 

and carpooling across the nation. There are 

way too many of us making unnecessary 

trips to the store and letting our kids drive 

to school every day when we have buses 

making the same trip, but I suppose this will 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with SENATE
S164 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 7, 2009 

take care of itself eventually when the price 

of gas gets to around $6 per gallon. 

Thanks for asking and thanks for your 

service to Idaho, 

WADE, Hamer. 

We are an independent pharmacy and offer 

free delivery service to our customers. Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured and indigent customers are all included. We are seriously 

considering charging for this service or 

eliminating it all together due to excessively 

high fuel prices. 

Along with fuel cost, Medicare issues, such 

as slow pay and low pay, are making it really difficult to stay in business. We have no 

control over our reimbursement prices and 

are told to take it or leave it. All of these 

price increases must be passed on to the consumer somehow if we are to survive. Drug 

companies are raising prices too. 

Thanks for asking for input. 

KENT, Twin Falls. 

We appreciate your concern about the rising costs of energy. As you say in Idaho we 

live quite a distance from most of the things 

we do. So the rising cost of gas has made a 

big impact on what we spend for transportation. We would encourage you to do whatever is necessary to make the changes in the 

current laws to allow exploration and drilling for oil including oil shale process. We 

have billions of gallons that cannot be 

tapped because of all the government red 

tape. We have supported the foreign suppliers long enough. Many of them are supporting terrorists who are enemies to us and 

our way of life. It is way passed time Congress became accountable for the restrictions they have placed on exploration and oil 

production. Do all you can to help this situation. 

BOYD and LADENE, Ucon. 

While the rise in petroleum prices is certainly a hardship to many people in Idaho, I 

do not know what else would have finally 

prompted a serious discussion about alternate energy sources and about seriously conserving energy. I usually ride a bicycle to 

work and drive an 18-year-old Honda Civic, 

which gets 44 mpg on the highway. If the entire U.S. auto fleet got similar mileage, I believe we could drastically cut our oil imports. The technology for more fuel efficient 

vehicles has been around for quite a while— 

that technology has not been encouraged and 

is currently not utilized. Here is an excerpt 

from Miller’s Living in the Environment (8th 

edition) textbook written 10 years ago: 

‘‘Since 1985 at least 10 companies including 

Volvo, Volkswagon, Renault, Peugeot, 

Honda, Mazda, Toyota and General Motors 

have had peppy prototype cars that meet or 

exceed current safety and pollution standards with fuel efficiencies of 67 to 138 mpg. If 

they were mass produced their slightly higher costs would be more than offset by their 

fuel savings . . . We can have roomy, peppy, 

safe, gas sippers, but only if consumers begin 

demanding them and buying them. (p 452).’’ 

With encouragement from the government, 

we could do even better than this. However, 

we do not seem to change our wasteful energy behavior because it is logical or because 

it harms the environment. We do it because 

we have to and cannot afford to do otherwise. Only economic pressure will force us to 

let go of our addiction to driving 2–3 ton 

SUVs, usually with only one person inside, 

commuting 20 miles to work and 1 mile to 

the store when walking or biking would do. 

People in Europe drive smaller cars and use 

much less oil per capita—but they have been 

paying $5 or more per gallon for a long time. 

Drilling more holes in the ground to extract 

the remaining reserves of oil in the U.S. faster, would only serve to delay the change in 

consumption of petroleum that we all must 

make. Subsidizing alternative energy development makes good sense. Solar, wind, and 

biofuels, along with conservation should receive highest priority. Nuclear power would 

seem to be the best ‘‘bridging’’ source of energy—if it were not for the problem of handling wastes. You might want to look at the 

International Society of Doctors for the Environment’s resolution on nuclear energy, 

March 2007 (http://201.116.215.170/isde.org). 

Further research on handling nuclear waste 

should be encouraged before constructing 

more nuclear power plants. Had we put significant effort and resources on alternate energy during the past 20 years, the adjustment 

to higher oil prices now would not have been 

so painful. We will need to use a wide variety 

of energy sources to replace the declining 

and increasingly expensive petroleum. People will adjust to the higher prices of gasoline by car pooling, taking public transportation, moving closer to work, buying more 

fuel efficient vehicles, making less needless 

trips, and many other ways. I recognize that 

this is not the kind of personal story about 

how high oil prices are hurting me, but I 

thought you should be aware of a different 

view of the oil price crisis. 

Thank for asking for input. 

ROGER. 

My husband and I live in Salmon. He will 

be 69 June 22nd; I am 70. He is a recovering 

heart patient; I am a declining COPD patient. We are on a fixed income (Social Security) and are both under the care of specialists, who practice in Missoula, Montana, 170 

miles away. We cancelled our appointments 

last month with our doctors because we simply do not have the money for gas. It is a sad 

state of affairs when a person cannot afford 

to visit their physician because gas is (as of 

today here in Salmon) $4.25. I think it is 

time to start drilling. Perhaps even open 

some of our reserves. 

Thank you for offering this site for folks 

like us to share the hardship this is causing 

not only in our lives but everyone in our 

community. 

CONNIE. 

One of the ways that my husband and I are 

coping with the increasing gasoline prices is 

that my husband is riding his motorcycle to 

work to reduce gasoline consumption. What 

I do not like about this situation is that it 

increases his chances for a fatal accident 

while commuting because of the increased 

danger of not being seen by the numerous 

other drivers in a high traffic time. 

We should be using our own domestic resources for oil in all ways possible (drilling 

and shale) and we should build nuclear power 

plants. France is a good model for very safe 

and productive nuclear resources. 

DEBRA, Boise. 

Thank you for asking us everyday Idahoans how high fuel prices are affecting us 

on a daily basis. My husband and I were just 

discussing this two days ago, about how and 

where we can cut down in order to shift the 

dollars to gasoline. First off, we are retired 

and on a fixed income; so that means when 

the price of one thing goes up, another thing 

will have to go down. We spend an average of 

$100 a month on gas. That, I know, is small 

compared to other Idahoans, and that is because we do not have to drive to work. 

Since gas has doubled in one year, we have 

to come up with another $100 a month to 

cover the increase. First, we ended our gym 

membership, which was costing $45 a month. 

Well, that is as far as we got. We do not 

know what else to cut down on. So we are in 

the hole $65 monthly. I am going to see if I 

can cut down on food, as I have seen the 

prices of food going up, too. I know my electric bill, water bill, and gas bill will be going 

up, too. It is very scary for us. 

Other things we are doing is grouping our 

trips together. This does offer a challenge 

due to logistics and time. And the impact of 

this cannot be calculated by any means, so I 

do not know what the effect of that will be. 

Other things we are trying is not eating 

fast food anymore. This is upsetting especially to me, because sometimes I just do not 

have the energy or the desire to cook. Going 

to a fast food was my respite. 

We also are not planning to make any day 

trips to other cities in Idaho anymore. We 

are new residents of Idaho, and wanted to explore its beauty this summer, when the 

weather was warmer. Last year, we were able 

to drive to Bogus Basin, Silver City, McCall, 

and Tamarack, and also explore the Boise 

National Forest. After all, is not that what 

retirement is supposed to be? However, we 

stopped talking about those trips. We even 

opted not to go to the next city over, Eagle, 

to experience our first Eagle Days fair, due 

to the drive. 

In other words, Senator, our driving today 

has been limited to just essential places, 

such as the grocery store and taking our 

Labradors to the nearby creek for a swim, 

which is the highlight of their day and we 

just cannot take that away from them. 

We were planning on buying life insurance 

for my husband, who is 63 and 13 years older 

than I am. Currently he has no life insurance. We are newlyweds (just 1 year), and I 

am always worried about what will happen 

to me when he dies. We have bills to pay, and 

the funeral costs alone average $7,000. After 

doing research comparisons, the best insurance we could get was $125 a month for just 

$100,000 of life insurance. We wanted to buy 

more insurance, but at $125 a month, that 

was all we can afford. Now, even that is on 

hold. That presents a daily worry for me, as 

my husband is active and can get hurt anytime. 

We must open up America for the oil companies to dig. I am so upset with the current 

EPA guidelines, which seem to be more concerned about protecting animals (like the 

caribou and the polar bear) than of the survival of the human race, especially the elderly like my husband and myself. Quality of 

life? There is none anymore, but the caribou 

and the polar bears have a great quality of 

life, do not they? I remember my early Bible 

days when in Genesis, God told Adam, ‘‘All 

this is yours for your use’’ (paraphrasing). 

Man is the highest earth form yesterday, 

today, and always will be. I truly believe 

that everything around us is meant to be 

used to our advantage, with minimum and 

common sense protection. 

I would also like to see a nuclear plant in 

Idaho. We have so much land here, with the 

nearest civilization miles away. Nuclear 

plants are safe. I know that. If having a nuclear plant here in Idaho will help Idahoans 

with lower energy costs, then that is what I 

want. My husband agrees, too. If the other 

states are too liberal or too scared to put one 

up, then that is their problem. Right now, 

my concern is for me, my husband, and 

Idaho. 

Thank you so much for letting me speak. I 

really appreciate that. In my last state, that 

is unheard of. That is one of the reasons I 

love living in Idaho. 

STELLA, Meridian. 

A few years ago when we had another crisis 

with fuel, the Feds stepped in and made a national speed limit to help conserve fuel. I 

think it is needed more now than then. Stiff 

enforcement penalties would need to be set 

up for each state for enforcement. 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with SENATE
January 7, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S165 

Also many years ago we had glass bottles 

and people employed in glass factories making them. We could save a lot of petrol by 

getting away from so much plastic. Glass is 

far easier to recycle than plastic and it is reusable. 

It is time [Congress got past partisanship 

and figured out how to solve these problems]. 

They should be paying us by now not the 

other way around. Let us put an end to the 

financial handout to them and start using 

those funds to build our own country. 

LUCIAN. 

Thank you for your recent communication 

regarding your vote on the climate change 

bill. I must say that I disagree with your decision, despite being spared an increase in 

gasoline costs. With 5 kilowatt-h/ sq meter of 

solar income, in addition to our hydroelectric power and category 4–5 wind, Idaho 

should be a net green energy exporter. Just 

because the oil companies, in times of record 

profits, decide to squeeze the consumer, does 

not mean we can make the short-sighted 

choice to think only with our wallets. We 

need an energy policy that provides true security—a diversified portfolio of energy 

sources—not continued investment in a delivery system that is outmoded, wasteful, 

and polluting. I am stretched in this economy, but I would gladly put out the extra 

money for the long term solution of improved air quality (have you seen the brown 

air over the Treasure Valley recently), cutting off money supply to unstable Mideast 

regimes, and a chance for my son to have a 

functional environment in which to live. 

Please stop making short-term political decisions when you have the opportunity to 

show true leadership and thoughtfully consider how to achieve a sustainable future for 

our country. It is not too hard for us, for 

heaven’s sake, we are Americans! 

LISA, Boise. 

The cost for fuel oil has gone from $.60 per 

gal. to over $4 per gallon, raising my monthly heating costs in the winter from $85 to 

$353 per month. I also drive around 40,000 

miles per year for my job and while costs 

have skyrocketed, the business deduction 

has not, which is, in fact, a tax increase to 

go with the punishing costs. To add to these 

problems, my wife’s mother, who lives in Dillon, Montana, has cancer, and lives at her 

trailer home for now. She is on Medicaid, has 

limited options for care and depends on us 

for many things. It is a six-hour drive. We 

get reasonable good mileage but that country, with the unpredictable weather, has a 

negative impact on our 26 miles per gallon. 

The cost of the trip has gone from $100 to 

$400 in just the last year and 1⁄2. My wife 

stayed home and raised our children while I 

provided for them so she has no Social Security. I am self-employed, so there is no retirement waiting except for what I can provide and I have used that to pay my taxes 

till it ran out. My wife was injured very 

badly 21⁄2 years ago without insurance and I 

must pay the county back over the next 15 

years. I realize that these things are adversity and I can, with hard work and the blessings of God, overcome them and still succeed. The biggest obstacle in my way is the 

very government that has sworn to uphold 

and defend the constitution that was inspired to protect me. Those who are bent on 

a socialistic society are destroying my hope 

for a future and the hope of my children. 

f 

RICHARD, Caldwell. 

TRIBUTE TO ST. MICHAEL’S 

COLLEGE STUDENT VOLUNTEERS 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I wish to 

draw the attention of the Senate to a 

group of selfless volunteers at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT, who 

sacrificed time with their families and 

friends this past holiday season to ensure that Vermonters in need of emergency services had someone to call 

upon even on the Christmas holiday. 

St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue was 

founded in 1969 and has been staffed 

and operated by student volunteers 

ever since. Donald Sutton, affectionately known as ‘‘Pappy’’ around the 

firehouse, helped start the organization 

as dean and director of campus security following the untimely death of a 

student athlete on campus. Nearly 40 

years later, the organization serves as 

the primarily ambulance and fire service for a large portion of the State’s 

most populous region, Chittenden 

County. 

The student volunteers who make 

this organization run find time outside 

of their rigorous course work to not 

only be on call but also to complete 

hundreds of hours of Emergency Medical Technician training and Firefighter training. While their classmates may be battling another school 

on the ice, on the field, or on the 

court—St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue 

members are risking their lives in reallife emergency situations, aiding the 

sick, and putting out fires. Even during 

the holidays, when schools shut down 

and students usually go home to visit 

with family, these students stand 

watch for their community. 

While I was at my family farm in 

Middlesex this holiday season, I came 

across a Christmas Day Burlington 

Free Press article highlighting the sacrifice of these students. I ask unanimous consent that the text of that article be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

[From the Burlington Free Press, Dec. 25, 

2008] 

NO BREAK FOR STUDENTS ON RESCUE SQUAD

(by Joel Banner Baird) 

COLCHESTER.—Their classmates might delight in holiday downtime: late nights, late 

mornings, heavy meals and torpor. 

On the night before Christmas, a studentstaffed rescue squad at St. Michael’s College 

remains on-call and alert—by choice. Time 

off will come to squad Capt. Kristen Dalton, 

21, later this week, after a 90-hour week at 

the College Parkway station. 

Her fellow St. Mike’s seniors, Mark Petersen and Peter Cronin, both 21, opted for holiday duty, too. 

This is more than a club. The squad’s 20 

members are first-responders who you see 

tending to car-wreck victims and heart-attack patients. They respond to more than 

2,700 calls every year from Chittenden County residents, most of them in Colchester, 

Winooski and Hinesburg. Dalton looked 

cheerful on a slow Wednesday morning. 

The biology major and pre-med student 

said she typically logs 40 to 50 hours per 

week at St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue. 

Each volunteer, certified as an Emergency 

Medical Technician, puts in at least 24 hours 

per week, including a 12-hour overnight shift 

at the station. 

‘‘We hold ourselves to a 3-minute response 

time,’’ Dalton said. ‘‘I throw a jumpsuit over 

my pajamas, I’m in my boots, and I’m out 

the door.’’ 

Like his captain, Petersen joined the squad 

as a freshman. He said the commitment 

taught him how to juggle academic commitments. 

‘‘It really, really forces you into time management,’’ he said. 

Another learning curve brought him up to 

speed as a member of a larger, adult community. 

‘‘What we do here is a lot of consequencebased decision-making,’’ he said. ‘‘You see 

the results of your actions right away. It 

makes you step back and say, ‘Hey—I’m not 

a kid anymore.’’’ 

Interrupting him, a call came through dispatch: An infant in Plattsburgh, N.Y., needed to be transported to Fletcher Allen. 

Petersen and Cronin did a final inspection 

of the neo-natal intensive care truck—one of 

the station’s three ambulances—and headed 

out to pick up a specialist at the hospital en 

route to New York. 

Christmas Eve’s activities would be anybody’s guess. Wrapped packages lay beneath 

a decorated tree in the ready room. Cronin’s 

parents said they’d cook breakfast for the 

volunteers on Christmas morning. 

Dalton said the squad would lose almost 

half of its members after graduation. She’s 

already planning a spring recruitment drive. 

‘‘This attracts a lot of different people— 

people who want to do something good with 

their time,’’ she said. 

As if on cue, Kate Soons of Colchester, a 

self-described ‘‘lingering alum,’’ entered 

with an overnight bag. She’d heard about the 

Plattsburgh call and wanted to provide 

backup. 

Soons served with the squad in the 1980s, 

and now is a nurse at Fletcher Allen. She 

also coordinates regional emergency care 

training, and keeps tabs on St. Mike’s graduates who have chosen to stay active in the 

field. 

Begun in 1969, the rescue squad is the busiest volunteer ambulance unit in the state, 

she said. 

‘‘It’s a big family,’’ she said. 

Soons’ husband, Pete Soons, also served 

with rescue volunteers as an undergraduate. 

He directs the college’s department of public 

safety, overseeing campus security, rescue 

and fire squads. 

Unlike the rescue volunteers, St. Michael’s 

25 firefighters have an off-campus affiliation; 

they’re a battalion in the Colchester Center 

Volunteer Fire Company. 

Standing between a hose truck and an engine, company firefighter Gary Zeno discussed hydrant fittings with freshman Andrea Dillner, 19. Still in training, Dillner will 

accompany squads as a rookie until she 

qualifies for hands-on work. 

Nonetheless, she volunteered. 

After a briefing with Zeno, she headed upstairs, past a wall-sized calendar of shift 

schedules and birthdays, to take a nap. 

Dalton, coffee in hand, looked as wideawake as ever on the night before Christmas. 

f 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

RETIREMENT OF CHARLENE DAVIS 

∑ Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I acknowledge and pay tribute to Charlene 

Davis’s dedication and service to the 

people of Missouri as she retires from 

the Jackson County Election Board of 

Election Commissioners after 34 years. 

During her tenure with the board, 

Charlene has helped modernize our 

election technology, improving the reliability and integrity of elections. 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with SENATE