Latest news with #BettyMcCollum
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
General Atomics Demonstrates PFAS Destruction System for Minnesota Congresswoman, State and Local Officials
PERSES System Delivered to Lake Elmo Facility to Destroy PFAS Waste SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 9, 2025 / General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and other members of state and local government attended a real-time demonstration of the complete destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) waste streams using GA-EMS' PERSES™ waste destruction system at a site located in Lake Elmo, MN on Friday, May 30. The PERSES system is on-site at the Lake Elmo facility for a four-week period to demonstrate the system's industrial-scale capabilities to destroy a wide variety of PFAS and PFAS contaminated waste. The PERSES system will be shipped to other suitable test sites for additional on-site PFAS destruction testing and demonstrations. "This is an exciting day as we learn how to break down the toxic chemical bond of PFAS. Through Department of Defense investment and private-sector innovation, General Atomics has achieved an extraordinary scientific breakthrough by completing a successful PFAS remediation in a controlled setting," said Congresswoman McCollum. "But there's still work to be done. Now, we must focus on scaling this technology so that it can be a solution for communities and military installations at large to eliminate the threat of PFAS pollution." GA-EMS is conducting the on-site demonstrations under a contract award by Bay West LLC, an environmental and remediation company leading a research program funded by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to deliver, install, and operate PERSES for multiple project demonstrations to destroy PFAS and PFAS contaminated waste. "We are extremely pleased to be working with Bay West and ERDC in welcoming Congresswoman McCollum, state, regional and local officials to witness the effectiveness of PERSES in the destruction of PFAS," said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. "On-site demonstrations such as this bring the power of PERSES directly into a community to demonstrate in person the system's capabilities to safely and efficiently eliminate PFAS from a broad range of waste media including landfill leachate, biosolid "sludge", soils and sediment, firefighting foam, and granular activated carbon and resin beads from filtration treatment systems. PERSES is the most effective tool in the waste remediation toolkit that can help bring an end to the forever cycle of PFAS contamination." PERSES utilizes GA-EMS' proven industrial Supercritical Water Oxidation (iSCWO) technology which has been in commercial use for more than a decade to effectively destroy PFAS and more than 200 hazardous and non-hazardous types of waste with 99.99% and greater efficiency. In a single process, PERSES destroys PFAS and PFAS waste with co-contaminants leaving behind only water, salts, and carbon dioxide which can be safely released into the environment with no post-treatment requirement. Bay West is a nationally recognized environmental consulting and remediation company headquartered in St. Paul, MN that provides solutions to government and commercial enterprises to navigate complex environmental concerns and ongoing remediation challenges. ERDC is an integral component of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and helps solve the nation's most challenging civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources, and environmental sciences for the Army, DoD, civilian agencies. SOURCE: General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems press release
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
METRO Gold Line opens in east Twin Cities metro
The Brief The METRO Gold Line offers a 10-mile stretch of frequent all-day bus service in the east metro. The half-a-billion dollar project has crossed the finish line after years of teamwork among elected officials, and with funding from a host of federal and local agencies. Riders can now take advantage of 16 stations, along with heated shelters, lighting and security features. WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Elected officials gathered on Saturday to celebrate a milestone accomplishment. Saturday was the first day of operations for the new METRO Gold Line, a frequent all-day bus service along a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 94 in the east metro. After 15 years of planning, including three years of construction, passengers now have a route from Woodbury to St. Paul, with stops in Oakdale, Landfall and Maplewood. 70% of the 35-minute journey features a bus-only lane. The Gold Line hopes to connect the entire region to jobs, schools, healthcare, and shopping. Buses will take off every ten minutes, during the day, and service is scheduled seven days a week. "This is a win-win-win folks, and every single one of you played a part," Rep. Betty McCollum said, "We're on schedule, and we're under budget." Dig deeper Within the $505 million budget, the line touts 16 stations, bridges and underpasses, along with heated shelters, lighting and security features. "This is such a cool project," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar said over the phone. The project has crossed the finish line after years of teamwork among elected officials, and with funding from a host of federal and local agencies. "This project is going to go a long way towards driving the region's economy, and I cannot wait to get on one of those buses," Klobuchar finished.
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Minnesota GOP lawmakers warn of impact of potential federal Medicaid cuts
Some Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature sounded the alarm about potential federal cuts to Medicaid, which could be at risk after the U.S. House passed a budget framework that includes slashing federal spending. The GOP-backed plan proposes $1.5 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, is tasked with finding $880 billion in savings, prompting concerns about the future of the government's health insurance program supporting millions of low-income people and individuals with disabilities across the country. Last week, before the House narrowly approved the resolution, 14 Minnesota state senators and legislators wrote a letter to Republicans in the state's Congressional Delegation urging them to push back on any cuts, citing concerns about the impact. Medicaid serves 1.3 million Minnesotans, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The federal government covers just over half the costs associated with the program and nearly all of the associated costs for those who qualify under Medicaid expansion, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. "There are no other sources to make up the lost federal share beyond severely impacting our seniors and those with disabilities who we serve. This is contrary to how we Republicans respect the aged and the vulnerable," wrote Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, and 13 others who serve on committees related to human services. DFL U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum published the letter on her X account earlier this week. "You can make a difference in this debate. Please, please do," the GOP legislators wrote in the letter dated Feb. 20. GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday the focus is rooting out any waste, fraud or abuse in Medicaid to find savings. He noted that nowhere in the resolution is Medicaid specifically mentioned. "What you're doing with that is you're shoring up the program and you're making sure the people who rely upon that, have it and it's a better program. That's what we're talking about," Johnson said. "You've heard the president say that. You've heard members of the House Republican Conference say that and no one else has said anything else except that Democrats who have ads out that lying about the intention here." WCCO tried to interview House and Senate members who signed on to the letter, but they were either unavailable or declined to speak further on Wednesday. In the Senate Human Services committee on Wednesday afternoon, Elyse Bailey, the budget analysis director with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, said the impact of cuts is unclear. The panel called her in last minute to answer questions about the resolution. "There's really no option, it seems in our quick analysis, that health care isn't going to be touched if they truly do hit that target," Bailey said. Minnesota receives $11.2 billion in Medicaid funding, she added, and that will increase to $14.5 billion by fiscal year 2029. "Last night, every parent who has a kid with a disability, every person who is disabled in this state—like a shock of fear just is living over them," said Sen. Erin May Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, during the committee. "When we have people who are coming to us, who are freaking out, and we have no more answers — the richest man in the world in Washington who is doing this needs to hear this because this is just untenable. It is unsustainable." Abeler said the committee should wait and see more details about what the plan looks like out of Washington. There are more steps in the budget process before anything is final. "Nothing is certainly bad going to happen based upon anything today. And you have a committee here who is deeply concerned, in a totally non-partisan way, about the welfare of the people we serve," Abeler said. Among those enrolled in Medical Association, the state's Medicaid program, 2% are children. Roughly two-thirds of all people served are parents, children and pregnant people, according to DHS. WCCO also reached out to Minnesota's Republican Representatives in Congress — Emmer, Finstad, Fishbach and Stauber — for comment about the letter and did not hear back.
