Minnesota Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon was today awarded the 2011 Public Leadership in Energy and Environmental Stewardship award, a nationwide recognition of her work on energy and the environment. Prettner Solon is the first-ever recipient of this newly established, annual award presented by General Electric in partnership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).

Presenting the award, Paul Doucette of GE said: "Lt. Governor Prettner Solon has an impressive list of legislative accomplishments advancing clean energy, renewable energy a

nd conservation. Just last month, the Lt. Governor spoke to a 'Focus the Nation' event regarding her continuing work to shepherd progress on clean energy legislation and standards passed during her chairmanship in the legislature."

It is an honor to receive the NLGA and General Electric's recognition, said Prettner Solon. While Minnesota and our nation have taken strong steps forward in developing clean energy capacity and protecting the environment, there is still work to be done. As Lt. Governor, I will continue to work to ensure that Minnesota continues to be a leader and pioneer in our country's clean energy future.

"NLGA partners in this recognition process to assist in bi-partisan identification of established and up-and-coming leaders committed to effectively tackling the current and future challenges of our nation," said NLGA Director Julia Hurst. "By recognizing Lt. Governor Prettner Solon, attention is brought to her accomplishments and plans for Minnesota in a way that can bring new ideas to other states."

Lt. Governor Prettner Solon was chief author of Minnesota's Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 and authored the state's nation-leading Renewable Energy Standard. She led efforts on sustainable buildings and increases in energy efficiency standards in all public buildings, and also authored legislation on community-based wind development, establishing a transit route for piloting new energy technologies, and a greenhouse gas emission registry system. Prettner Solon is also a dedicated public servant to Minnesota's waterways, serving on local and regional Great Lakes organizations and the Duluth Port Authority.

The award was announced and the presentation made during the NLGA Federal-State Relations meeting in Washington D.C. Lt. Governor Prettner Solon was previously named to the NLGA Executive Committee in February.