Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., has been named chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Energy Subcommittee.
Franken says he plans to use his new role to help promote Minnesota's and the nation's renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors, and to create manufacturing jobs, as he believes growth in these sectors is critical to U.S. energy independence and competitiveness.
‘I'm proud of the strong and historic role Minnesota has played in the development and deployment of clean energy and energy efficient technologies," Franken says. ‘I plan to use this new chairmanship to bolster emerging technologies, particularly in renewables and energy efficiency."
Franken has served on the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee since 2011. Since taking office, he has been a strong advocate for clean energy technologies, including wind, solar and bio-based energy.
In the last Congress, Franken co-sponsored legislation proposing a clean energy standard and pressed for an extension of the wind energy production tax credit.
