Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Rural Broadband Announcements in Minnesota
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced three grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide high-speed, reliable internet to residents in rural Minnesota. Over 5,000 people will benefit from these awards. Recipients include 139 different businesses and 368 farms across the state. “Internet access is not just a luxury in the 21st century, it’s a necessity,” said Senator Smith. “In Minnesota and across the country, people in rural areas, small towns, and Tribal communities need access to reliable, high-speed internet. Investing in broadband infrastructure with the ReConnect Grant Program will help connect communities in every part of the country to high-speed internet and I am proud to have helped bring this funding back to Minnesota.” Three organizations across Minnesota were awarded money: The investment comes from USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and totals $44,433,314 for all three awards. ReConnect provides loans and grants to bring high-speed internet to rural areas that lack access to broadband. ###
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Funding for Minnesota Rural Emergency Medical Services
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – As access to emergency medical services (EMS) continues to be a top issue for leaders in Minnesota, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced federal funding to bolster rural EMS services in the Southwest Metro region and the Arrowhead counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis in Northeastern Minnesota. The funding was made available through the SIREN Act, which both Senators supported and was signed into law in October of this year. The Arrowhead EMS Association will receive $5,000,000 to pilot real-time tele-EMS technologies to connect area responders to emergency personnel in areas with high traffic fatalities. Ridgeview Ambulance Service, based in Waconia and serving all of Carver County, portions of Hennepin, Le Sueur, McLeod, Nicollet, Scott, Sibley and Wright counties, will receive $170,000 to purchase a highly sophisticated patient care simulator. Ridgeview will also use the funding to host an EMT course in Le Sueur County that will be free to those that join their local ambulance service and provide more opportunities and flexibilities for paramedics to obtain continuing education hours. “EMS providers are on the frontlines every single day, not only bridging the gap between life-threatening situations and treatment at local hospitals, but also providing critical care to people in their homes and communities. Their dedication and expertise are crucial for saving lives – but there’s a severe shortage in rural communities right now and it’s having a dire impact,” said Senator Smith. “These grants will help rural communities train new personnel, keep those
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Kevin Cramer, John Fetterman and Katie Britt Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Domestic Bus Manufacturing Market
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led her colleagues Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) in introducing bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and reform the domestic bus manufacturing industry by providing more flexibility for local transit systems when purchasing buses. Current U.S. standards impose outdated, 40-year-old payment practices on our bus manufacturers and purchasers, which result in unnecessarily high costs. Many domestic bus manufacturers have gone bankrupt or left the market, despite high demand for new vehicles. The Bus Rolling Stock Modernization Act would help fix this problem.The legislation allows bus manufacturers to apply for advanced payments up to 20%, enabling
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding to Improve Osakis’s Water Treatment Plant and Water Tower
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $497,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant and a $651,000 loan to make improvements to the water treatment plant and water tower in Osakis. Specifically, the funding supports a project that will convert the iron filter to a biological ammonia-removal filter to allow chlorine to better clean the lines during water treatment which will help protect the distribution system. The project will also renovate Osakis’s water tower, which hasn’t been repaired since its construction in 1997. “The water treatment plant and water tower in Osakis
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding to Improve Red Lake Falls’s Water and Waste Disposal Infrastructure
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $906,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant and an $8,310,000 loan to make improvements to the Red Lake Falls’s water, wastewater, and sewer infrastructure. Specifically, this project will construct a new water tower and pump station and install new water meters. “Red Lake Falls’s current water, wastewater, and sewer infrastructure no longer meets the needs of the city,” said Klobuchar. “Using this federal funding, Red Lake Falls can make the necessary improvements to enhance these critical public services.” “Minnesotans deserve to have safe, clean water,” said Smith. “The city
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Federal Funding to Improve Taconite’s Water System
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $851,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant and a $1,494,000 loan to make improvements to the City of Taconite’s water system. The funding will advance the construction of a new water storage tank, a water pump house, and a replacement water tower. The project will also install individual water meters for customers and develop a meter-reader system. “To ensure families are getting quality water out of their taps, it’s important to upgrade water infrastructure once the equipment reaches the end of its useful life,” said Klobuchar. “With
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