Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has won NRECA’s 2026 Distinguished Service Award for championing electric cooperatives and the communities they serve throughout her nearly 20-year career in Congress.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said the award is “reserved for those who, over time, demonstrate repeated support for the 42 million Americans who belong to electric cooperatives.”
“Over your distinguished Senate career, you have consistently fought for policies of critical importance to America’s electric cooperatives,” Matheson wrote to Klobuchar in a letter informing her of the honor.
Klobuchar, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2007 and is now running for governor of Minnesota, was nominated for the award by co-op leaders, including directors of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.
“Senator Klobuchar has consistently demonstrated that she is a champion for the cooperative model, working to adopt balanced legislation that ensures the interests of rural members are upheld while enhancing the reliability of the electric grid,” MREA board Chairman Wesley Waller wrote in a letter to NRECA President Mike Partin.
Waller said Klobuchar has been “an unwavering ally” who has used her position as ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee to advocate for federal programs crucial to electric co-ops.
“Senator Klobuchar has been a national leader in ensuring cooperatives are eligible for and receive grants supporting their energy transition efforts,” he said. “She knows cooperatives and engages in work to ensure they compete on a level playing field.”
As co-chairman of the Senate Broadband Caucus, Klobuchar introduced the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, “which invested billions in broadband infrastructure while preserving existing cooperative exemptions from federal pole attachment regulations,” Waller said.
“Her work ensured that electric cooperatives were competitive applicants in working to address the digital divide in rural communities.”
When Minnesota co-ops are hit by natural disasters, Klobuchar visits them to see the damage firsthand, Waller said.
“She fights back against unfavorable FEMA decisions denying legitimate cooperative projects and has advocated with the EPA, ensuring cooperative perspectives are heard in crafting environmental regulations.”
Mac McLennan, president and CEO of Minnkota Power Cooperative—which provides power to distribution co-ops in Minnesota and North Dakota—said Klobuchar “has earned the trust and respect of electric cooperatives because she shows up, listens and works hard on behalf of rural member-consumers.”
“Whether facing challenges related to reliability, infrastructure investment, energy policy or affordability, she has stood firmly with our industry,” McLennan said in a nomination letter on behalf of the North Dakota-based generation and transmission co-op. “At the same time, she recognizes the opportunities before us and has demonstrated the vision needed to help cooperatives adapt and succeed in a changing energy landscape.”
He said Klobuchar’s leadership has been “a tremendous advantage” for Minnesota co-ops.
“Her advocacy has advanced policies that support infrastructure investment, grid reliability and rural economic development at a time when it is needed most,” McLennan said.
The senator “never lost touch with the people she represents,” said David Saggau, president and CEO of Great River Energy in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
“It is not uncommon to see ‘Amy’—as she is known to everyone who meets her—at a cooperative annual meeting or the groundbreaking of a major piece of infrastructure,” he said.
“Sen. Klobuchar has for decades demonstrated a leadership style and governing philosophy that embodies what cooperatives stand for.”
Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.