Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Clean Energy Manufacturing Investment in Fridley
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced Cummins, Inc. received a tax credit allocation of $10,500,000 for investment in electrolyzer manufacturing and testing in Fridley, Minn., for its Accelera by Cummins zero-emissions business. This investment is expected to support more than 260 direct jobs and nearly 2,000 indirect jobs. Electrolyzers separate water into oxygen and hydrogen, and when done using renewable energy, create carbon-free hydrogen that can be stored and used as a clean energy source. The funding comes from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which both Klobuchar and Smith supported. “Minnesota has long been a hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This investment in Cummins’s Fridley plant will create good paying jobs and ensure this critical technology continues to be made in America.” “I always say that when it comes to transitioning to a clean energy economy, we can lead or follow—and I think we should lead,” said Senator Smith. “Through this investment in Fridley, the Biden Administration is creating thousands of good-paying jobs for Minnesotans and ensuring American manufacturing is a leader in the clean energy future. We’re investing in American workers while fighting climate change.” “We are grateful to the Biden Administration and Senators Klobuchar and Smith for their investment in and support for accelerating the U.S. hydrogen economy,” said Alex Savelli, Managing Director of Electrolyzers for Accelera by Cummins. “Government partnership is critical to spur the growing hydrogen industry. This credit allows us to continue building manufacturing capability in Fridley, create desirable green tech and manufacturing jobs, and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Colleagues to Reintroduce Bill to Help Educate Americans about the Effects of Climate Change
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues in introducing legislation that would support a variety of programs nationwide to help Americans better understand what climate change will mean for our everyday lives—things like including information about climate change in school science curricula and public education campaigns. The bill, called the Climate Change Education Act, would establish a Climate Change Education Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants and technical assistance to state and local education agencies, institutions of higher learning, professional associations and academic societies, and youth corps organizations. “Climate change is happening, and we cannot ignore it,” said Senator Smith. “We need to be doing everything we can to combat climate change, and that includes comprehensive education about its impacts. Investing in our future and working against climate change will improve our health, create better jobs, and ensure that people are prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world.” The Climate Change Education Act would support climate literacy by authorizing $50 million per year between fiscal years 2025 and 2030 for grants and cooperative agreements between NOAA and education entities. In line with the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, the bill stipulates that 40 percent of the funds for higher education institutions and youth corps organizations would be directed to environmental justice communities. The bill was led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bob
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce $300k Grant to Develop Recipes Featuring Minnesota Agriculture Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/20/20]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that the Minnesota Department of Education is receiving a $300,000 grant to develop, standardize, prepare and test recipes for School Nutrition Programs that feature local Minnesota agriculture products including beets, greens, squash and carrots. The meals will be created with input from statewide partners including school nutrition professionals. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Sens. Klobuchar and Smith said that it’s important that students have access to nutritious meals, especially during the pandemic. “It is critical that we provide assistance to schools so that they can provide
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses USDA to Increase Incentive Payments to Farmers to Stop Decline in Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/20/20]–U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is pressing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to increase incentive payments to stop the enrollment decline in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which plays a key role in protecting environmentally-sensitive farm land, stopping soil erosion, improving water quality and preserving wildlife habitat. In a letter to Perdue Monday, Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, pushed him to significantly increase Practice Incentive Payments (PIP) and to begin making rental rate incentive payments, both tools that past Administrations have used to maintain strong enrollment in CRP. She was joined on
Minnesota Congressional Delegation Urges Air Force to Maintain the C-130 Fleet that is Critical to the Minnesota Air National Guard
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Representatives Jim Hagedorn (MN-01), Angie Craig (MN-02), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara Barrett, urging the Administration to maintain the size of the C-130 fleet while making the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. As the 133rd Airlift Wing, stationed at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and serving the entire state including the Duluth Air National Guard Base, could be affected by the potential reductions, the delegation
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Enrollment for 2021 Crop Safety Net Programs Now Open
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/19/20]–U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that enrollment for two popular U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) safety net programs for the 2021 crop year recently opened. The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs provide Minnesota agriculture producers with financial support when crop revenue and commodity prices fall below certain levels. Funding was authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill and is available through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “The coronavirus pandemic has placed incredible stress on our farming communities,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “As the backbone of our economy, farmers throughout Minnesota and across the country deserve our support during periods of uncertainty like we
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