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Food and Agriculture

Pingree Announces $40.5 Million to Boost Conservation, Climate Resilience Efforts in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced more than $40.5 million for conservation projects in Maine. Nearly $25 Million will support a project, spearheaded by the Nature Conservancy, to provide much-needed upgrades to road-stream crossings, allowing native wildlife—including Atlantic salmon, brook trout, mussels, and turtles— to migrate more…

During Fashion Week, Pingree Leads Push to Revitalize US Sustainable Fibers Industry

| Posted in Press Releases
sustainable fibers

As New York Fashion Week gets underway, Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus founder and chair Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is calling attention to the critical need to promote sustainable textile production in the United States. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Pingree and her colleagues underscored the…

Pingree, Appropriators Press For Answers on Tribal and Senior Food Distribution Shortages

| Posted in Press Releases

House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Ranking Member Chellie Pingree joined leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in pressing for answers from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack regarding failures under its Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), which have inflicted a dire food shortage crisis on…

ICYMI: Pingree Derides House Republicans’ Agriculture Funding Bill Which Hurts Maine Farmers, Threatens Food Access

| Posted in Press Releases

On Wednesday night, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime farmer and member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, spoke out against House Republicans’ Agriculture Appropriations bill for the 2025 fiscal year. In remarks before the full House Appropriations Committee, Pingree said the bill puts critical nutrition programs at risk, hurts…

Pingree Welcomes $7.4 Million Investment to Help Fight Child Hunger and Grow Local Food Access in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced $7.4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combat child hunger in Maine. Distributed through the nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential, seven organizations in Maine were awarded School Food System Innovation Grants to help schools overcome the barriers to purchasing Maine-based foods for their school meal programs…

Pingree Hosts Deputy Agriculture Sec. Torres Small in Maine, Highlights Infrastructure Needs to Support Locally Grown Food

| Posted in Press Releases

On Friday, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, hosted U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small in Maine, highlighting local food infrastructure and processing. Pingree and Torres Small were joined by Maine Commissioner of Agriculture Amanda Beal as well as local…

Pingree: Many Issues with House GOP Farm Bill, No Help for PFAS-Impacted Farmers is ‘Just Wrong’

| Posted in Press Releases
Farm Bill Markup

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, voted against House Republicans’ Farm Bill proposal during the Committee’s markup on Thursday night, citing the bill’s failure to support farmers in Maine and across the country impacted by PFAS contamination, fisheries, food insecure Americans and children, foresters, and…

Pingree, Lawmakers to President Biden: Use Executive Authority to Lower Food Prices

| Posted in Press Releases
food costs - veggies

Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined a bicameral group of her colleagues in Congress in encouraging the Biden-Harris Administration to use its executive authority to lower food prices for families. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the lawmakers—led by Congressman James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—note how corporations have…

Pingree Applauds New School Meal Standards to Strengthen Child Nutrition and Support Local Food Purchasing in Maine

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, applauded new action by the Biden-Harris Administration to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. Notably, the new standards allow schools to require fresh foods to be locally grown, raised, or caught when…

Pingree Touts More Than $657,000 in Grants to Support Renewable Energy in Maine’s 1st District

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants worth a total of $657,298 for businesses in Maine’s First Congressional District. The infusion of rural development funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congressional Democrats and signed by President Biden. “The…

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