WASHINGTON – Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has been given the Keystone Leadership in Government Award in recognition of her congressional achievements. She accepted the award Thursday night from the Keystone Center during a ceremony at Union Station.

The Keystone Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 1975 to develop public policy.

According to the Keystone Center, Snowe was selected because she embodies the organization’s belief that lasting policy is “best crafted through consensus-building with a diversity of perspectives.”

In her acceptance speech, Snowe pointed out the importance of bipartisanship in policymaking given the current political climate.

“I do continue to believe it’s indisputable that bipartisanship is an integral aspect of good government,” Snowe said, adding that “espousing that principle is more critical than ever, given we face a crisis that politicians are increasingly bringing upon themselves in the form of partisanship at all costs.”