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“HONORING ANNE CASTLE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WATER AND SCIENCE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1625-E1626 on Nov. 18, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING ANNE CASTLE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WATER AND SCIENCE, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
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HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Representatives Diana DeGette, Ed Perlmutter, Jared Polis, George Miller, Jim Costa, and Jared Huffman, we rise today to recognize Anne Castle, who is departing after more than five years as Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior. Anne has worked to protect our nation's water resources for her entire career, and we are grateful for her service.
It is appropriate that Anne hails from Colorado, where engraved in the State Capitol is the poem, ``Here is a land where life is written in water.'' From the Front Range to the Western Slope, water has shaped the character of Coloradans and has no doubt influenced Anne's career.
Prior to joining Interior, Anne practiced law for 28 years in Denver, Colorado specializing in water rights law. She also served on several state water initiatives, including the South Platte River Basin Task Force, which she was appointed to by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter in 2007 Anne was twice appointed to the Colorado Groundwater Commission by former Colorado Governor Roy Romer and served from 1994 to 2002.
During her tenure at the Department of the Interior, Anne oversaw the creation and implementation of WaterSMART, spearheaded several hydropower initiatives, and played a key role in the recent successful launch of Landsat 8. She also worked to promote youth and STEM initiatives within the Department and mentored the next generation of water leaders.
Perhaps Anne's greatest contribution during her tenure as Assistant Secretary is in her leadership on Western water management. Anne was a key member of the team that Secretary Salazar brought to Interior to improve inter-agency cooperation on addressing complex interstate and international water management issues across the West. Anne has prioritized the need for the West to respond to historic drought--focusing on the changing and increasing risks facing water supplies. Most recently, Anne led implementation of Minute 319 to the 1944 Treaty with Mexico--a historic agreement that guides future management of the Colorado River through 2017.
As she leaves Interior, the coordination between the federal government, Indian Tribes, states, and other constituencies are at their highest levels on the Colorado River, even during this time of record drought. On a personal level, both career and political appointees have praised Anne's dedication, energy, intellect and professionalism. The West is better off today as a result of Anne's contributions.
We thank Anne, and her family, Frank, Chris, and Beth, for their service to the American people. We wish Anne the best as she returns home to the land where life is written in water.
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