Senator Collins Receives 2026 Clean Energy Champion Award

Click HERE for a full-resolution image. WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins was named a 2026 Clean Energy Champion by Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES). CRES recognized Senator Collins for her longstanding work to strengthen grid resilience, advance energy storage and clean energy technologies, and support investments in the nation’s energy infrastructure. “CRES has been an important partner in advancing responsible energy policies that strengthen our nation’s economy and energy security, and I am grateful to be recognized by the organization as a Clean Energy Champion,” said Senator Collins. “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue working across the aisle to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy that helps make energy more reliable and affordable while encouraging American innovation.” Senator Collins was a member of the bipartisan group of ten senators who negotiated the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act , which established the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) grant program to strengthen and modernize the nation’s electric grid. Through the GRIP program, Form Energy received a nearly $150 million federal award for a new battery-based energy storage facility located at the site of the former Lincoln Paper & Tissue Mill. In August , Senator Collins joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and local leaders in Lincoln to discuss the plans for the new facility. The Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act , legislation authored by Senator Collins to support grid-scale energy storage research and development and improve the efficiency of the nation’s electric grid, was signed into law in 2020. ###