Tucson lawmaker says economic crisis opens "a door of opportunity" to creating a robust solar industry in Arizona
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today urged members of the House Budget Committee to set aside significant federal funding into the research and development of solar and other renewable energy projects.
"By making critical investments in clean energy, especially solar energy, we can take a big step toward putting our nation back on a strong economic footing and a higher quality of life," said Giffords. "Far from being a distraction from today's economic problems, solar and other renewables provide a means of addressing the economic crisis head on."
Giffords, a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, told the committee that solar energy represents an economic engine that can help revive our struggling economy by creating jobs and spurring billions of dollars in economic growth and tax revenue.
"Even though renewable power sources currently account for just a small fraction of our overall electricity production, they accounted for over 50 percent of the additional electrical generating capacity that came online in 2008," Giffords said. "With strong support in this budget, that number could be 100 percent by 2012."
In her testimony, Giffords said solar installations in 2007 increased by more than 40 percent over 2006 and this has led solar energy companies to create 6,000 new jobs, 265 megawatts of generation capacity and pump more than $2 billion of investment in the U.S. economy.
Giffords cited the experiences of George Villec and Kevin Koch, two Tucson businessmen who are helping build the solar industry in Southern Arizona. Villec's solar installation company, GeoInnovation, hired four new full-time employees over the past year. Cook's installation company, Technicians for Sustainability, employed eight people last year and had a backlog of 6 to 8 weeks. His company now employs 15 people, needs to hire more, and has a backlog of 12 weeks.
"This crisis has opened a door of opportunity," Giffords said.
The congresswoman noted that, during the presidential campaign, then-Senator Barack Obama promised to invest $15 billion per year over the next ten years in developing clean renewable energy technologies. He reiterated this commitment as president in his recently released budget proposal, in which Obama again called for investing in renewable energy.
"I urge the committee to follow the President's lead and set aside significant funding for research and development, demonstration projects, loan guarantees and tax-free bonding authority for solar and other renewable projects," Giffords said. "In addition, I urge the committee to provide the means for the federal government to install 2000 megawatts of solar on federal buildings by the end of 2010."