Rep. Betty McCollum receives 2013 AASG Pick & Gavel Award

The recipient of the 2013 Pick and Gavel Award from AASG is Congresswoman Betty McCollum of Minnesota.

The presentation was made at the Pick and Gavel Banquet at the Cosmos Club in Washignton DC, on March 12^th.

Minnesota State Geologist Harvey Thorleifson said that in a decade in Congress, she has emerged as an influential advocate for issues such as safe drinking water.

"She has worked closely with the National Ground Water Association, for example to advance development of a national groundwater monitoring network.

Betty is a member of the House Interior appropriations subcommittee, and she has gone to bat for us in very real ways in multiple years, with significant results regarding StateMap and Data Preservation funding.

She also has spoken up for geologic mapping in USGS budget hearings - this was noticed and later commented upon by USGS managers.

Betty is very highly regarded, for example in the Minnesota water science and policy community."