Congressional Record publishes “TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH DARNELL” in the Senate section on Dec. 21, 2017

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Congressional Record publishes “TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH DARNELL” in the Senate section on Dec. 21, 2017

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Volume 163, No. 209 covering the 1st Session of the 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) was published by the Congressional Record.

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 JOSEPH DARNELL” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S8252-S8253 on Dec. 21, 2017.

The Department oversees more than 500 million acres of land. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the department has contributed to a growing water crisis and holds many lands which could be better managed.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH DARNELL

Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I want to say a few words about someone in Alaska who has been very important in my State. Joseph Darnell, who we know as Joe, is the Alaska Regional Solicitor for the Department of the Interior, in Anchorage, AL. He has been in that office since 1992, was made acting regional solicitor in 2010, and was appointed to his current position in 2013. He will be retiring from his job at the end of this year.

The Department of the Interior is Alaska's largest landlord, managing 61 percent of Alaska's lands. The way the Department of the Interior manages its lands and resources is critical for Alaska's economy and for the well-being of our citizens.

I know that I often talk about Federal overreach, and while it is true that, under certain administrations, Alaska has bared the brunt of much of that overreach, but it was people like Joe who made sure that rules and regulations were followed, that the people had a voice, and worked to see that good policy prevailed. A former staff member for the late great Senator Ted Stevens, Joe learned from the best.

During his tenure, Joe worked on numerous land management and land conveyance issues for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Refuge System, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. Among the more notable was the land exchange between the United States and the Aleut Corporation, which resulted in the Aleut Corporation acquiring ownership of the closed Adak Naval Air Facility on Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands.

Joe was born in Seward and raised in Juneau, Kenai, and Fairbanks. According to his wife, Joan, they enjoy cross-country skiing, riding bicycles together, and spending time in their cabin outside of McCarthy. One of his great passions is small airplanes. After the first of the year, they will both be spending a lot of time in their Cessna 175, flying across the great State of Alaska, and watching their daughter Anna ski for the ski for the Nanooks at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Through his decades of dedication, Joe acquired and maintained a peerless understanding of how both national and Alaska-specific laws operate on our Federal public lands in Alaska. He has advised on and navigated a great many challenges for our State during his time in public service, and his knowledge and contribution will be dearly missed.

Best of luck to him and to his family and thanks for all he has done for all of us.

____________________

SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 163, No. 209

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