(WDCpix)

(WDCpix)

Minnesota’s congressional delegation spent a lot of time discussing health care this week, but there were other issues to deal with. Railroads, grasslands, student loans and peace in the Middle East all garnered attention from Minnesota’s members of Congress.

Rep. Tim Walz is working to secure $260 million in the federal Transportation Re-authorization Bill to route the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad south of Rochester. One concern is DM&E’s proximity to the Mayo Clinic and the potentially hazardous materials the line brings close to the hospital complex. The line would also help connect passenger rail to the proposed Minneapolis-to-Chicago high-speed rail.

“We think this project … borders on a project of national interest, of national priority,” Walz said.

Rep. John Kline railed against a plan to to abolish the Federal Family Education Loan Program and end subsidies for private student loan lenders by folding the program into the federal government.

“I have to ask: Is there any industry not on the verge of federalization?” said Kline who is the ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.

“We’ve already seen the federal government step in and take control of banks, insurance companies and even iconic American auto companies,” Kline said. “The speed with which Democrats are orchestrating a full government takeover of our classrooms and communities is astonishing,” he added.

Rep. Betty McCollum announced on Tuesday that she had secured $400,000 for energy efficiency upgrades for the city of Oakdale. The city will install a cost-saving geothermal heat pump system and light-emitting diode lamps.

McCollum also announced a $900,000 grant on Thursday for Twin Cities middle schools called “Generator Go Green” that will boost energy efficiency, student volunteerism and science learning at disadvantaged schools.

Rep. Keith Ellison is trying to secure $750,000 for a light-rail hub in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District and a light-rail line or rapid bus transit line through north Minneapolis to the northwest suburbs called the Bottineau Transitway.

Ellison also introduced a corporate governance bill that directs publicly held companies to set up independent oversight boards for risk management and executive compensation.

“Runaway executive pay and weak corporate boards were two key ingredients in the current financial crisis,” Ellison said in a statement on Wednesday. “Ensuring that investors have a voice on executive pay packages and that boards are independent, strong and qualified is critical to restoring confidence in the way our companies are run.”

Rep. Michele Bachmann is holding a press conference on health care on Friday with other Republican congresswomen.

“The press conference will also be attended by working mothers who will share personal stories about how the Democrats’ health care legislation will hurt women and affect their day-to-day lives,” the group said in a statement Thursday.

Rep. Collin Peterson is working to ban certain kinds of credit default swaps, specifically those that contributed to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but large corporations are balking at the idea.

Peterson is urging the Department of Agriculture to change incentives that allow farmers to tear up grasslands to increase yields, a problem he says is exacerbated by the federal government.

Peterson also defended his work on climate change legislation, specifically cap-and-trade for which he has begun to take heat in his district.

“I decided to get involved and work with my colleagues in Congress to be sure that agriculture and rural America had a seat at the table when this climate change legislation was written. As a result, we were able to amend several important provisions that made the bill a better deal for agriculture and rural America.

Rep. James Oberstar got pressure from the online poker players’ lobby to vote to make online poker legal and regulated.

Oberstar was praised this week for his advocacy of bicycling and bike trails. “You get on a bike and you can go anywhere,” Oberstar told the Hill.

Oberstar’s advocacy for transportation, especially sustainable transportation, was praised by Transportation for America, a smart growth transportation lobby.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduced Miguel Humberto Diaz at his nomination hearings for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican on Wednesday. She called the St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict theology professor “a gifted theologian, a respected scholar, a natural teacher and a dedicated bridge-builder. He knows and loves America, and he knows and loves the Catholic Church.”

Klobuchar held a hearing on metal on Wednesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs.

“Metal theft has become a serious nationwide problem with potentially dangerous and far-reaching consequences because of the threat it poses to public safety and our critical infrastructures,” she said in a statement. “We need a nationwide metal theft prevention strategy, so we can combat, prosecute and prevent metal theft crimes.”

Sen. Al Franken’s office is holding open meetings around the state.

Franken also met with Jewish leaders and fellow senators on Wednesday to discuss peace in the Middle East.