Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith and Congresswoman Betty McCollum Announce Federal Funding for Energy Efficiency Upgrades in Minnesota
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (Both D-MN) and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN04) announced federal support to help cities and commercial buildings develop plans to implement energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades across Minnesota. It will also be used to help eligible homeowners install energy efficiency upgrades in their homes, like installing energy efficient furnaces and water heaters or improving insulation and sealing windows, providing them long term cost-savings. The money comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which both Senators and the Congresswoman voted for in 2021. “Investing in energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy sources can help lower utility bills and our carbon footprint,” said Klobuchar. “With these federal funds, Minnesota businesses and families can install the equipment they need to retrofit their homes to save money, and communities can get assistance to implement their energy goals.” “The transition to clean energy is happening, the question is whether our country leads or follows. I want us to lead,” said Senator Smith. “The cheapest and cleanest energy is the energy that you don’t ever need to buy. These investments will help Minnesota businesses, communities, and families save money on their utility bills and reduce harmful emissions contributing to climate change.” “I am so pleased that Minnesotans will benefit from the $2,566,630 total investment in our state through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “The City of Saint Paul’s visionary Climate Action and Resilience Plan will be directly supported by these funds to conduct municipal energy audits and further their strategy to decarbonize municipal buildings by 2030. I commend President Biden for this important investment that will help us meet our climate goals
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce USDA Partnership to Expand, Bolster Minnesota’s Food Supply Chain
WASHINGTON [2/7/2024] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced federal funding to strengthen the middle portions of Minnesota’s food supply chain. These funds will help small farms and small food businesses access more customers and help consumers find more locally-grown goods – oftentimes at lower cost. The funding is made possible through the American Rescue Plan, legislation both Klobuchar and Smith supported. “To keep prices low at the grocery store, we need to invest in our food supply chain to make it resilient from disruptions and bottlenecks,” said Klobuchar. “These grants will strengthen the infrastructure needed to bring food from farm to table, support farmers as they expand into new markets, and deliver technical skills training for local food businesses.” “Farmers in Minnesota know firsthand the vulnerabilities of our food supply chain and the importance of making it more resilient in the long term,” said Smith. “This funding will help strengthen our food supply system and also expand opportunity for farmers in Minnesota and around the country by creating new and better markets for their products.” This funding is one of many actions taken under the Biden Administration to expand processing capacity and increase competition in agriculture, making markets more accessible, fair, competitive and resilient for producers. The four-year partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture will bolster the middle of Minnesota’s food supply chain, meaning more opportunities for producers to sell their goods, better infrastructure for food businesses to operate with, and
Sen. Tina Smith & Rep. Betty McCollum’s Bill to Restore 11k Acres of Land to Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to be Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/03/20]—After passing the U.S. House of Representatives today, legislation authored by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04) to restore over eleven-thousand acres of wrongly seized land to the Leech Lake Reservation is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “My colleague Representative McCollum and I worked to right this wrong and get this effort over the finish line, but above all I want to recognize the decades of work that Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe put into making this possible,” said Sen. Smith. “This historic win belongs to them and
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Tells Agriculture Committee that Minnesota Farmers Feel Impact of Climate Change, Discusses Innovative State Efforts to Address it
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/02/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing today that Minnesota farmers see the reality of climate change every year with the increasing impact of drought, heat, and floods, and she pointed to the innovative work of a new coalition of Minnesota businesses and researchers that is working to find solutions. Sen. Smith told the panel about MBOLD, a coalition of food and agriculture leaders who are working to deal with climate change, food insecurity and many other pressing problems for agriculture. The group includes the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Fortune 100 companies as
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Applauds Move to Help High School Students in Minnesota Who Lost Jobs Due to COVID-19, Urges Eligible Students to Apply Soon
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/02/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) says a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling allowing eligible high school students to receive coronavirus (COVID-19) unemployment assistance is welcome news, and she urges eligible students to apply before December 25. Earlier this year, Sens. Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced bicameral legislation with U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-2), Dean Phillips (MN-3), Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Betty McCollum (MN-4) to help high school students in Minnesota who have lost jobs due to the pandemic. “Minnesota high schoolers who lost jobs in the pandemic had been denied unemployment benefits they should have been eligible
Klobuchar, Smith Commend Alexandria Technical and Community College for Selection to U.S. Naval Community College Program
WASHINGTON —U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith commended the Alexandria Technical and Community College in Alexandria, MN for their selection in the newly formed U.S. Naval Community College (USNCC) pilot program. The six-month pilot program is set to begin in January 2021 and will gather data and information to help develop the USNCC’s program as it prepares to welcome its first students. “The foundation of our future prosperity can be found in education. As we continue to confront the coronavirus pandemic, new and innovative programs are critical to develop and educate our communities, and the Navy and Alexandria Tech
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