McCollum Successfully Secures $2.2 Million for Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Como Zoo

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) released the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2023 conference agreement, and President Biden signed it into law. The agreement includes funding for all 15 of Rep. McCollum's requested Community Projects that will directly benefit the Fourth District.

Within the Energy and Water portion of the agreement, McCollum's CPF was included to bring in $2.2 million for energy efficiency at Como Zoo in St. Paul:

• Project: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Hydro Geothermal Heat Pump ($2,200,000)
  This funding will be used by the City of Saint Paul to replace the zoo's inefficient natural gas steam boiler with a Hydro Geothermal Heat Pump (HGHP), a more energy efficient heating and cooling system. The proposed retrofit is expected to reduce emissions by up to 50%, lowering facility operating costs so more resources can be used to enhance programs that serve the community.

"Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is an invaluable institution that enriches our community," McCollum said. "I'm proud to secure funding for this project to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and reallocate resources to better serve visitors and help meet the city's carbon neutrality goals."

"Renewable energy is vital to creating a sustainable and resilient future for our community," said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. "This transition to geothermal at our Como Park Zoo and Conservatory will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and further our goal of becoming carbon neutral in our city by 2050."

Background:

The 2023 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies portion of the agreement provides $54.65 billion.

The legislation:

• Helps lower energy costs by strengthening America's energy independence.
• Creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy technologies and the green jobs of tomorrow in communities across the country.
• Confronts the climate crisis with more than $15.3 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy.
• Rebuilds our nation's water infrastructure, critical to protecting communities from more frequent and severe storms and to addressing the worsening western drought.
  • Includes McCollum language (p. 30) reminding the Army Corps of Engineers that the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is a federal project that requires routine maintenance and that the disposition study continue to be at full federal expense.
• Strengthens our national security by providing for a safe and secure nuclear deterrent and protects our environment by funding legacy nuclear cleanup work.
  • Includes McCollum language (p. 167) in support of improving the coordination of federal efforts involved in growing and sustaining a robust national security workforce.

Read Chair McCollum's full statement on final passage of the omnibus here.

The text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 is available here. A list of bill highlights is here. A full summary of the appropriations provisions in the bill is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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