• Home
• About Amy
• Serving Minnesotans
• About Minnesota
• Issues/ Legislation
• Media Center
• Contact Amy
• FAQ

News Releases

Klobuchar Promotes Student Action on Climate Change

Climate Change Forum at St. Olaf College Focuses on Positive Action

May 5, 2008

Northfield, MN – At a climate change forum Saturday at St. Olaf College, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar joined with students and faculty members to highlight the opportunities for positive action to address the challenge of global climate change, both in Washington and through grassroots action on college campuses across the country.

Saturday’s forum is one of a series that Klobuchar is holding on college campuses across Minnesota.  Last month, Klobuchar also chaired a Senate Environment Committee hearing on what American colleges and universities can do about global climate change.

“By reducing their own energy use and conducting research on new technologies and opportunities to cut greenhouse gas pollution, America’s colleges and universities can help lead the way in the fight against global warming,” said Klobuchar.  “Working together, we can confront the challenges of climate change.  We can do it in a way that makes our country stronger with new technologies, new industries, new ‘green-collar’ jobs and new sources of energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.’’

Klobuchar is a sponsor of the bipartisan “America’s Climate Security Act,” which would introduce a “cap-and-trade” system with market-based incentives to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 70 percent by 2050.  The legislation represents historic action on climate change.  The bill has passed the Senate Environment Committee and will be considered by the full Senate in the next few weeks.

Klobuchar is also the author of the “American Renewable Energy Act,” which would extend and expand federal tax incentives for investments in renewable energy sources.

St. Olaf College is recognized as a national leader in the campus sustainability movement.  In 2005, it installed a 1.65-megawatt wind turbine, which generates about one-third of the school’s energy needs.  This fall, the college will open a new energy-efficient science complex which is expected to qualify for a “platinum” rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

At the forum, Klobuchar also heard from several panelists who described what St. Olaf College is doing on climate change. Speakers included:

• Dr. Bob Jacobel, St. Olaf physics professor who has conducted research for 20 years on ice changes in Antarctica (and has a glacier in Antarctica named after him).
• Dave Van Wylen, St. Olaf biology professor and associate dean of natural sciences, who helped lead the design and construction of the new energy-efficient science complex.
• Kate Huber, St. Olaf student who is a leader with the Campus Sustainability Coalition.
• Alexa Tennyson, a St. Olaf student who is a leader with the Campus Sustainability Coalition.

After one year in the Senate, Klobuchar is a national leader on climate change.  She serves on three Senate committees directly involved with the issue:  Environment, Agriculture and Commerce.  Last year she visited Greenland to observe firsthand the dramatic early impact of climate change evident there.


###