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“TRIBUTE TO BRAYTON WILLIS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S11183 on Dec. 5, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO BRAYTON WILLIS
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in early 2007, the Army Corps of Engineers will see one of its finest employees retire after 28 years of exemplary service to individuals, communities, and agencies that the Corps serves.
Brayton Willis has lived in Idaho since 1999, serving as the project manager in the Walla Walla District's Boise office. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and later graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in civil engineering. His career began in Massachusetts where he worked on one of the first environmental impact statements required under the Clean Air Act.
Brayton has worked for the Corps of Engineers in Arizona, Washington and South Carolina, in addition to his work in Idaho. Over the course of his career, he worked at two of the Nation's nuclear facilities providing environmental restoration support to the Department of Energy. He found time to use his expertise in a volunteer capacity as well, helping local communities in California and Puerto Rico assess damages after natural disasters. In Idaho, in particular, Brayton specialized in flood control and issues related to environmental improvement in urban and suburban flood-prone areas. He also worked with local communities to address the critical issues of water and wastewater management and actively sought to involve community stakeholders in flood control and environmental improvement. Brayton preferred to approach flooding and its implications in a preventive manner, before disaster happened. He worked under the firm belief that this method was the most effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
Brayton's work reflects the complementary ideals of caring for communities and the environment. Increased population growth in the West means greater and more sensitive interface between the environment and people. If managed effectively and proactively, the result can be positive for the environment and hold far less risk of disaster for the residential population. Brayton understands this and implemented it in his almost three decades of employment in the Corps. I congratulate Brayton Willis on his retirement and wish him and his wife Debbie well in future endeavors.
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