The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO STAN SLOSS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S4145-S4146 on June 13, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO STAN SLOSS
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, as every one of our colleagues will attest, the work we do in this Chamber is made possible by many exceptional people who do not carry an election certificate. I am speaking of the dedicated staffers who work on committees and in our personal offices.
Many of the staff members we interact with every day go on to build their own careers in political life, while others use the skills they developed here to work in rewarding ways for the private sector. Others continue in public service with nonprofit organizations or other kinds of government service. A few will make their contribution to public service by staying here as employees of the House of Representatives or the Senate. A smaller and more distinct group will develop such broad expertise in the legislative branch that they might as well carry an election certificate of their own because of the respect, esteem, and high regard in which they are held. These are the men and women whom other congressional staffers seek for their wisdom and guidance. These are the wise people whom Senators and Congressmen look upon as peers, not only because of their good counsel and uniquely honed years of experience but also because they often know more about the legislative process than legislators themselves.
Among this more and most distinct group of staff members, there is a standout, my friend Stan Sloss. I know the Presiding Officer knows Stan Sloss. Stan is marking his 14th year of service in my office but also 37 total years of work in Congress.
A native of Glenwood Springs, CO, Stan is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School. He came to Washington, DC, in the late 1960s, working first in the General Counsel's Office of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Stan's congressional career started in 1975 when he joined the staff of what was then known as the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.
In 1977 Stan became a counsel to the new Subcommittee on General Oversight and Alaska Lands chaired by former Representative John Seiberling, an iconic past Member of the House of Representatives. In this capacity, Stan worked with both Representative Seiberling and my father, Morris Udall, who was chairman of the full Interior Committee.
Stan has had many successes, but one that I am most proud of is his work to help draft legislation that became the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act--key legislation setting aside more than 100 million acres of Alaska's most pristine public lands. Stan staffed hearings throughout the lower 48 States and Alaska and was one of the many key professional staff who helped shape the final legislation. The law was a milestone in conservation, protecting an area larger than the State of California and more than doubling the size of the Nation's system of national parks, wildlife refuges, wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers.
When John Seiberling retired in 1987, Stan remained on the Interior Committee staff, serving under former Representative Bruce Vento, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands. Stan continued to work on many other laws and regulations affecting public lands and natural resources, including the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act sponsored by my father.
Stan's expertise was simply indispensable. In 1995 Stan left the Resources Committee to become the legislative director for David Skaggs, a House Member from Colorado, who benefited from Stan's years of experience and expertise with public lands issues.
I have a letter from Congressman Skaggs noting all of Stan's accomplishments and service. I ask unanimous consent to have it printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
June 13, 2012.Hon. Stan Sloss,Congressional Staffer Extraordinaire, Office of Senator Mark
Udall, Washington, DC.
Dear Stan: Yes, ``The Honorable.'' You are entitled to that term of address more than most on whom it is bestowed ex officio. For you, it is has been earned per labores.
I am reluctant to contemplate your retirement--or, more precisely, to think of the Congress no longer subject to your knowledgeable instruction and deft oversight. No doubt the superlatives will flow from those who will speak in person at your party. I wish I could be there, and will count on the good Senator to read this for me.
My vocabulary is barely adequate to express my admiration, respect and gratitude for your service to Article I branch and to me personally. You are simply without peer in devotion to duty, in insistence on the highest standards of intellect and integrity, and in institutional loyalty. You have educated us with your insights into law and policy, you have inspired us by your courage and steadfastness, and you have supported us with your friendship and wry humor.
All who have had the privilege of working with you, even as we pretended that you worked for us, feel a poignant mix of deep affection and some sadness at the occasion of your retirement. To say that you will be profoundly missed barely suffices. I pray that you will draw enormous pride and satisfaction in looking back on a career of exceptional service to your country. The United States is a much better place on account of Stan Sloss. The Honorable Stan Sloss.
Godspeed, dear friend.
With great respect and affection,
David E. Skaggs,
Former Member of Congress.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. While Stan was working with Congressman Skaggs, he also dealt with contentious issues related to Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons site in Colorado, and the other sites in the U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex.
Stan was one of the first people I hired following my election to the House of Representatives in November of 1998. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was fortunate to have someone with Stan's experience who also understood issues important to Colorado. While in my House office, Stan was instrumental in developing a number of land and environmental bills that were signed into law, including the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act, which converted this site and a vast expanse of open space into a wildlife habitat asset after it was cleaned up and closed. He also steered into law the James Peak Wilderness and Protection Area Act, one of the last unprotected areas along Colorado's Northern Front Range mountainous backdrop. Stan has also been my expert on fire prevention, developing legislation on forest health and wildfire response and mitigation.
But Stan's work has not just been confined to the environmental arena. His keen intellect, common sense, and sharp legal analysis have been invaluable on a wide range of issues and topics that face each and every one of us every day. He has been especially effective in tutoring many of the younger members of my staff on the inner workings of Congress, helping them learn the nuances of legislative drafting, and serving as an example of the highest standard of professionalism for congressional staff.
Like any thoughtful and accomplished lawyer, Stan is often fond of saying that he can ``argue it flat or he can argue it round,'' and his objectivity is legendary in our office. Having said that, however, I also know that beneath his always calm demeanor and his capacity to see all sides of the question, there beats the heart of a man who is passionate about doing the right thing.
Through many years of working on behalf of the people of Colorado in my House office and now my Senate office, Stan has always been a voice of wisdom, reason, and, above all, integrity. My colleagues in the Colorado congressional delegation have often looked upon Stan as their resource as well. I have never minded sharing him because his advice and guidance carry weight that inevitably makes better whatever bill or policy he has been asked to consider. I think I daresay the Presiding Officer has also had the opportunity to work with Stan and take advantage of his wisdom and insight.
Stan is a person of depth and accomplishment beyond his work in Congress. He is one of the best read people I have ever met. He is an expert on gardening, on opera, on history, and the list goes on and on. I have to say parenthetically, as a graduate of Williams College, for me to say that about an Amherst graduate probably has double weight.
Stan has an exceptional sense of humor and a dry wit, as demonstrated in the poems he often wrote making wry observations on current events which he would regularly circulate to staff. In short, he has perfected what seems to be the lost art of being polite and courteous to other people even when he disagrees with them. That, of course, is a quality we could always use a bit more of in Congress.
Stan is not only a good employee, he is also a good human being. In the rough-and-tumble world of politics, that is perhaps the highest praise to which any of us can aspire. His contributions to my offices, the offices of other Members, the House Resources Committee, and the whole Congress and ultimately the people of the United States serve as an example of a professional life that commands both respect and affection.
Just a few months ago, my staff and I celebrated Stan's 70th birthday with him, as we had his 60th and 65th birthdays in past years, and today we are honored to celebrate his retirement. My staff and I will miss Stan, it goes without saying, and we will miss working with him.
As a point of personal privilege, I want to make it clear that I know I will continue to seek his advice even after he leaves congressional service. I am excited to see what the next chapter will be for Stan. It will no doubt involve some adventure, some noble pursuits, some deep thought, and some new summits to ascend.
So please join me in thanking Stan Sloss for 37 years of exceptional work in the Congress and for his service to our country that he loves so much. We wish him well.
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