Solar Technology Roadmap Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, Michigan may not be considered an especially sunny State, and probably it does not immediately come to people's minds when we talk about the potential for solar energy in this country; however, my home State is currently a leader in the domestic manufacturing of solar cells. We are home to great companies like United Solar Ovonic, which support over 1,000 jobs in my area through two production facilities in Auburn Hills and global R&D headquarters in Troy. High-tech jobs like these are the source of hope in my State and provide workers an opportunity to apply their skills in a new industry and enter the workforce of the 21st century.
Federal partnership is critical to effectively develop new, renewable energies, and these investments are key to restoring jobs lost in recent years. For this reason, I am pleased to see that the bill recognizes the impact Federal investment in emerging industries can have in depressed areas and ask the Secretary to consider States that have been hit hardest by the recession and which are experiencing high unemployment rates when providing awards under this program.
We have a tremendous opportunity to revitalize our domestic manufacturing base by strengthening the domestic solar industry. While States like Michigan and many others certainly have the existing infrastructure and workforce to manufacture more solar technologies, the United States continues to lag behind China, Japan, and Europe in this field. We must commit at the Federal level to increase our domestic production, and I am pleased to see that the manager's amendment adopts language I worked on in the Science Committee that supports domestic solar manufacturing and assures that the R&D and manufacturing taking place under this bill will be carried out here in the United States.
I applaud the committee's commitment to bolstering the U.S. solar industry and the development of this road map. I would like to thank the bill's author, Representative Giffords, Chairman Gordon, and Ranking Member Hall of the Science and Technology Committee for working with me on this bill, and I urge its full passage here today.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source