On Tuesday, Congressman Walz held an education and workforce summit to
talk about the education needed for the jobs in Southern Minnesota's
burgeoning bioscience and "green" economy. We found this picture online of Walz with several labor leaders. From left to right, Laura Askelin, President of the SE MN Area Labor Council; Congressman Walz; David Foster, Executive Director of The Blue Green
Alliance; Russ Hess, President, Rochester Central Labor Council,
AFL-CIO. No doubt about it; she's short.
Walz attended to other discussions of green economic development this week. The University of Minnesota's Ag School reports Congressmen visit CFANS labs.The story:
The congressmen and their staff toured labs of the Center for Biorefining, which is headed by Dr. Roger Ruan. In a prepared statement for the press, Congressman Walz said “Growing green collar jobs takes more than money for research—it takes capital to build facilities, vocational training programs to produce a skilled workforce, and a commitment that our government will make energy development a top priority.” Congressman Emanuel said “I’m impressed with the work of the University of Minnesota is doing to expand our 10-, 20- and 30-year outlook for renewable fuels.
Also attending the meeting were representatives from the Minnesota Corn Growers, Minnesota Soybean Growers, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Blue-Green Alliance and other renewable energy leaders.
Think it's a pipe dream? This week's Jackson County Pilot reports
Jackson manufacturers 'scrambling' to address mounting job openings. Where are the openings? The article says:
The manufacturing and industry-related job market in Jackson is red hot, despite a slowing state and national economy and news of recent big-city layoffs.
The city’s largest industrial park employers are scrambling to fill vacancies in positions ranging from hourly general labor-type posts to skilled salaried and professional-type positions.. . .
. . .AGCO’s difficulty in recruiting also stems from the company’s recent rapid growth and expansion. Bill Kaltenberg, director of operations for AGCO-Jackson, said the growth and associated job openings at his company have much to do with the biofuel boom.
“Our company is providing ag equipment for a field and a market that are rapidly expanding due primarily to the growth in the biofuel industry and associated high commodity prices,” he said. “We’re offering a good opportunity to grow in an organization that’s growing and expanding.” . . .
KEYC-TV reports Auto Emissions Laboratory Planned at MSU :
Plans are underway for a new auto emissions laboratory at MSU.The Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Minnesota Corn and Research Promotion Council approved a 250 thousand dollar grant last month.News 12's Amber Malusky explains what this grant means and why it's important for the school and the community.Ethanol is becoming a major source of energy across the country.Which is why a 250 thousand dollar grant was approved to build a new emissions laboratory at MSU.
The Illinois Legal Record's News Bulletin notes that Representative Walz is working on the improvement of the upper Mississippi lock and dam system:
Corn growers from Illinois and Indiana lobbied their strong support for lock and dam appropriations in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reported. They're asking for million for the Army Corps of Engineers' Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) and an additional million for the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) Environmental Management Program. "We need to integrate the restoration of the river ecosystem with the modernization of the navigation system to reduce barge traffic delays," said Art Bunting, Illinois Corn Growers Association president. NCGA is working closely with Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) of the UMR Basin Task Force to seek funding for lock construction and the NESP. NCGA has posted an action alert on their website (www.ncga.com) in order for farmers and others to urge Congress to fund lock construction on the UMR and Illinois River.
Nancy Adams of Leroy (disclosure: we were both trained to be grassroots citzens lobbyists by the Audubon Society last June) writes to the Rochester Post Bulletin to complain of the Defense of Democracies' ad in Swift-boat type ads attacking Walz are lies. Newsweek and Factcheck.org agreed in Fear and False Claims.
The HRC reports in Courage and Pride in the face of Harassment in St. Peter, Minnesota, that the documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So" was shown at Gustavus Adolphus to a crowd of over 300 people. Congressman Walz was in the audience with his wife Gwen, who is a GAC alum.
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