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Food and Agriculture

Pingree Calls House Agriculture Reconciliation Bill a ‘Win’ for Climate Research, Forest Resilience, Renewable Energy

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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, today called the panel’s markup of the agriculture provisions of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation legislation a “win” for climate research, renewable energy, and the nation’s forests. The bill specifically includes $7.75 billion for climate-focused agricultural research;…

Pingree Welcomes $700M in USDA Pandemic Relief for Farm and Food Workers

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WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $700 million will soon be available to help farm and meatpacking workers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will be available through the USDA’s new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), who is an organic farmer and…

Pingree, Brownley, Kuster, Booker Introduce Bills to Incentivize Sustainable Practices in Food Consumption

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Today, Congresswomen Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Julia Brownley (D-CA), and Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) introduced two bills, the Zero Food Waste Act and the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act, to reduce the amount of food wasted in the U.S. and to redirect food waste to composting projects. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)…

Pingree Announces $300K USDA Grant for UMaine to Build Agricultural Resiliency through Culinary Training

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded the University of Maine a $300,000 grant to build agricultural literacy through immersive culinary experiences for Maine’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Arts Instructors, encouraging use of Maine grown, processed, and produced foods in their programs and…

Pingree Calls for Free School Meals

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined legislation to expand on the success of the universal free school meals approach recently extended by the USDA to bring long-term relief to millions of food-insecure families. The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 would permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all…

Reps. Pingree and Massie Introduce Bipartisan PRIME Act to Empower Local Livestock Farmers, Meet Consumer Demand

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Today, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) re-introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. Companion legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY). The PRIME Act would give individual…

US Reps. Pingree, Stefanik Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Invest in Climate-Forward Forestry Practices

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y) today introduced the Rural Forest Markets Act, bipartisan legislation to help small-scale, family forest owners access new economic opportunities and develop solutions to mitigate the climate crisis. “As we grapple with the effects of climate change, companies…

In Bicameral Letter, Pingree, Spanberger, Heinrich, Booker Lead Call for Investment in Agriculture as a Climate Solution

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-NJ), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) today led 30 of their colleagues in a letter urging House and Senate leadership to support a historic, long-term investment in farmers, ranchers, and rural communities as a part of upcoming infrastructure and climate…

Video Recap: Rep. Pingree Asks USDA Officials to Address Trump-Era OIG Report on Climate Change Research

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In a House Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) asked Acting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young how the REE mission area is coordinating climate change research…

On Earth Day, Rep. Pingree & Senator Heinrich Reintroduce Agriculture Resilience Act

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), alongside Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) and 16 of her House colleagues today reintroduced the bicameral Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA). This bold, comprehensive legislation sets a roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions from agriculture by 2040 and empowers farmers with the tools and resources needed to improve soil health,…

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