Hyperloop Technology

Floor Speech

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my support for a new and exciting technology called hyperloop, a modern innovation to enhance our Nation's transportation infrastructure. Hyperloop consists of a network of sealed tubes where trains carrying cargo or passengers can pass through without air resistance or friction. This could drastically reduce travel time from hours to mere minutes. Benefits of this technology are numerous: in addition to shortening travel time, hyperloop is energy efficient and has the potential to dramatically cut greenhouse gasses from our atmosphere. Additionally, while we enter a time of economic uncertainty, hyperloop represents an entirely new sector of the economy and would provide opportunities for new jobs and could stimulate commerce.

Madam Speaker, I am especially excited about this new technology because of its unique tie to Kansas and the Third District. One of our finest constituent companies in Kansas' Third District, Black and Veatch, has been working on hyperloop projects for some time, demonstrating that Kansas City would be a welcome location for any pilot program. Spirit AeroSystems, our neighbors in Wichita, have been tapped to help build the high-tech capsules for Virgin Hyperloop One, which has a project site in Kansas City, Missouri that could serve as the starting point for an eventual Kansas City-to-St.Louis stretch, cutting travel times from a nearly 4 hour drive to just 30 minutes by hyperloop. And Kansas City has long been heralded as a talent center for high-tech and engineering jobs, which aligns well with the growth of this cutting-edge technology sector. Last October, I hosted a Small Business Committee field hearing in my district, bringing together various startups and entrepreneurs to discuss innovation and expanding capital for high-tech small businesses. In that same vein, I would be excited to see hyperloop introduced in the greater Kansas City metro area and look forward to showing what Kansas' Third District has to offer.

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