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 Floor Statement Opposing Anti-Environment Riders, Including Mining Near the BWCA

September 7, 2017 Statements For the Record

"I am opposed to all the amendments included in this en bloc. Many of them use offsets from accounts in the Environmental Protection Agency or Fish and Wildlife Service that are already severely underfunded. I am particularly troubled by one amendment in this group that threatens our nation’s most visited wilderness area. Let me tell you why I oppose the Emmer Amendment."

McCollum Opposes House GOP’s 8-Bill Appropriations Package, Cuts to Interior-Environment Programs

September 6, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, spoke on the House Floor today in strong opposition to House Republicans’ eight-bill appropriations package and its devastating $824 million cut to the programs funded in the Interior-Environment bill.

McCollum Floor Statement Opposing 8-Bill Appropriations Package, Cuts to Interior-Environment Programs

September 6, 2017 Statements For the Record

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor opposing H.R. 3354, House Republicans' eight-bill omnibus appropriations package, and particularly its deep cuts to environmental protection.

McCollum Statement to Rules Committee Regarding H.R. 3354

September 6, 2017 Statements For the Record

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, testified before the House Rules Committee opposing the House Republican majority's closed process for the consideration of H.R. 3354, and particularly Division A, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018.

McCollum Urges Emergency Fire Suppression Funding in Supplemental Appropriations Bill

September 5, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, today wrote to bipartisan House leaders urging the inclusion of $300 million for urgent wildfire suppression activities in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for Hurricane Harvey relief.

McCollum Formally Requests Criminal Charges Against Plating, Inc. Owners

August 25, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) today formally requested federal authorities to pursue criminal charges against the owners and responsible individuals at Plating, Inc., which abandoned toxic and dangerous chemicals in a residential neighborhood in St. Paul, necessitating a $1.6 million federal cleanup.

McCollum Statement on Latest Trump Administration Attack on National Monuments

August 24, 2017 Press Release

“From the sacred sites of Utah’s Bears Ears to the majestic splendor of Maine’s Katahdin Woods, National Monuments safeguard our country’s natural and cultural treasures. The Trump administration’s proposal to strip protections from these special places and open them up to exploitation by private interests is an attack on our public lands and national heritage."

Neighborhood Meeting on EPA Waste Cleanup in St. Paul Set for Aug. 15

August 10, 2017 Press Release

The office of Congresswoman Betty McCollum will host a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, August 15 to share important information about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup of hazardous waste at 888 North Prior Avenue in St. Paul.

McCollum Statement on EPA Announcement of Hazardous Waste Cleanup in St. Paul

August 3, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) released a statement after the Environmental Protection Agency announced an emergency $1.6 million hazardous waste cleanup at the Plating, Inc. site in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul.

McCollum, Environmental Leaders Oppose Emmer Bill to Mine Next to BWCA

July 27, 2017 Press Release

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) today submitted a letter to the House Natural Resources Committee strongly opposing a legislative proposal by Rep. Tom Emmer that would pave the way for dangerous mining next to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.