Sen. Franken Launches “Back to Work Minnesota” Initiative to Create Jobs, Save Energy, & Lower Taxpayer Costs by Retrofitting Public, Private Buildings
Effort to Include Private Companies, Financiers, Local Government, Education Leaders, and Will Focus on Eliminating Financial and Regulatory Barriers to Investments in Retrofitting
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) today launched his “Back to Work Minnesota” initiative to create jobs, reduce energy consumption, and save money for businesses and taxpayers by retrofitting buildings and tapping Minnesota’s expertise to overcome the obstacles to doing so. Retrofitting Efforts Already Successful in Minnesota Sen. Franken said retrofitting has already helped local governments in Minnesota like Scott County to make their buildings more energy efficient and allowed them to pass the savings from lower energy costs onto taxpayers.
Sen. Franken, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, announced his initiative Monday at his Minnesota Energy Summit in St. Paul. He said some Minnesota counties and cities have already saved hundreds of thousands of tax dollars by undertaking retrofitting projects and that similar efforts could be replicated across the state. He said his initiative would address the obstacles to retrofitting private buildings. The effort will include businesses, financiers, state and local government officials, and Minnesota education leaders.
"Making our buildings more energy efficient protects our environment, saves money, improves real estate values, creates jobs—and could be the next big thing for Minnesota’s economy," said Sen. Franken. "With a motivated workforce, energy service companies, leading window makers, and other manufacturers headquartered right here in our state, we have the expertise to begin to break down the financial and regulatory barriers to implementing retrofitting projects in communities across Minnesota. I want to tap those resources and get Minnesotans back to work by doing these projects.”
After his Energy Summit Monday, Sen. Franken met privately with dozens of local elected officials, as well as education and business leaders, to identify retrofitting opportunities in Minnesota. The ongoing “Back to Work Minnesota” initiative will bring together public and private resources to help local communities understand how they can undertake projects in public and private buildings in their own communities.
The state and national groups that met privately with Sen. Franken include the Minnesota League of Cities, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Energy Services Coalition, the Minnesota Energy Jobs Association, the Clinton Foundation, the Center for American Progress, and the Carbon War Room.
