Contact: Jeanne Kouhestani FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/26/96
Rear Admiral John C. Albright of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was sworn in today as one of seven members of the Mississippi River Commission.
Albright, nominated to the post by President Bill Clinton, was confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 22. His appointment became effective Dec. 26. He fills the mandated NOAA slot on the Commission, and will concurrently fulfill both his Commission and NOAA responsibilities.
The Commission is charged with the vital task of planning and implementing a program to develop and control the lower Mississippi River. It is also responsible for managing the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, which was created by the Flood Control Act of 1928 and covers portions of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
"It's an honor to be appointed to the Mississippi River Commission and have the opportunity to contribute the experience I've gained through my years of service with the NOAA Corps and Coast and Geodetic Survey," Albright said. "I look forward to participating in the continual improvement of the MR&T project and applying the best of modern practices in water resources engineering. I also look forward to being involved in the Commission's continued effort to safely pass the Mississippi River Basin floodwaters to the Gulf of Mexico, and provide a safe and dependable navigation waterway that is so important to our nation."
Albright, director of NOAA's Pacific Marine Center in Seattle, Wash., and Atlantic Marine Center in Norfolk, Va., is responsible for management of the fleet that supports NOAA's scientific and survey programs throughout the world. Formerly, as chief of the Nautical Charting Division of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, he managed production of the nation's nautical charts, bathymetric maps, and related navigational products and services. He has also served as chief of a triangulation party surveying Louisiana and Georgia.
Albright serves on the board of the Society of American Military Engineers, and is a member of the Hydrographic Society. He received the NOAA Corps Commendation Medal for outstanding leadership as commanding officer of the RAINIER and has received six NOAA Special Achievement Awards. In 1967 the Antarctic geographical feature Mount Albright was named in his honor in recognition of his survey work there.