Environment & Energy

The environment — our air, our water, our land — is a sacred trust that we must protect and preserve for ourselves and future generations. Today, our planet is in peril because of climate change, which is already affecting Minnesotans and Americans.

As the Chair of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I am a strong supporter of action on climate change and strongly oppose efforts to undermine our international commitments and turn the United States into an environmental rogue nation. In addition, I support full funding for environmental protections and oppose harmful efforts to weaken our bedrock clean air, clean water, and conservation laws. These are laws that protect the health of our families and our planet.

When it comes to energy, we must make smart decisions today to create green jobs and safeguard our environment. Instead of doubling down on fossil fuels, I support strategic investments in clean energy infrastructure, research, and education.

More on Environment & Energy

McCollum Leads Democrats at Interior Department Appropriations Hearing

June 8, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) led Democrats opposing President Donald Trump's backwards budget at a House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

McCollum Statement on President Trump's Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

June 1, 2017 Press Release

As our planet and humanity face the very real threat of climate change, this White House and the Republican Congress have isolated our nation by reneging on the Paris Agreement.

McCollum Statement on Reports President Trump Will Withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement

May 31, 2017 Press Release

Instead of constructive leadership and action, President Trump and the Republican Congress are willing to renounce the Paris Agreement, make the United States an environmental rogue nation, and condemn the next generation to the hell of an overheated planet.

Perdue to McCollum: Boundary Waters Environmental Review Will Proceed

May 25, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) today received assurances from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue that the Trump administration will proceed with the two-year, science-based study of whether dangerous copper-sulfide ore mining should be permitted on federal lands in the watershed that flows into Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

McCollum: President Trump’s FY18 Budget Is Cruel and Reckless

May 23, 2017 Press Release

President Trump’s 2018 budget is a cruel and reckless plan that benefits billionaires, punishes the vulnerable, and abandons working families and small businesses. I strongly oppose this budget and will do everything I can to prevent its callous policies from becoming law.

McCollum Floor Remarks Supporting FY2017 Omnibus

May 3, 2017 Press Release

This final bipartisan agreement will protect our environment, meet our trust and treaty obligations to Native Americans, and safeguard our natural and cultural heritage. Sadly, the President’s 2018 budget would undo all this work, so we must stay vigilant.

McCollum Fact Sheet: FY2017 Interior-Environment Appropriations

May 1, 2017 Press Release

As lead Democrat on the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, my colleagues and I led the fight for our Democratic priorities in this critical bill. Because we stood strong for our values, this bill protects our environment, keeps our commitments to Native Americans, and safeguards our natural and cultural heritage.

McCollum Statement on FY2017 Omnibus Bill

May 1, 2017 Press Release

While Republican political game playing delayed this bill for seven months, it is nevertheless a win for Minnesotans and Americans... The omnibus bill does not include President Donald Trump's dangerous spending cuts and immoral, wasteful border wall. That is a victory for the values we all share.

McCollum Statement on Trump Order Threatening National Monuments

April 26, 2017 Press Release

President Donald Trump’s order is an attack on our public lands and national heritage. A review of the Antiquities Act and national monument designations is nothing but a pretext to remove protections from millions of acres of America’s public lands and expose them to exploitation by private interests.

McCollum Statement on 2017 Earth Day

April 21, 2017 Press Release

As we celebrate Earth Day, we reflect on environmental challenges in our communities and around the world. This year, our air, our water, our treasured places, and even the health of our planet are under attack from President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.