My Open Letter to My Congressman #2: Solar Roadways

Dear Representative Hultgren:

I am writing you again and asking that you take a leadership role on the Climate Change crisis.

Though I was very disappointed to read that you signed the Koch brothers' pledge against the creation of a carbon tax on major corporate carbon polluters, a group to which the Koch brothers not surprisingly belongs, I think I do have a way for you to act on the Climate Change crisis without breaking that pledge. (Though of course I would strongly suggest you reconsider your allegiance to the Koch brothers given their past record.) I would like to call your attention to the Solar Roadways project which is just finishing Phase II of the parking lot prototype this week.

The Solar Roadways project would address several issues that you mention you are concerned with as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on your web page as well as addresses my concerns on Climate Change:

• Implementation would pay for itself in energy produced alone, 
• Provide more jobs in construction and related industries (Scott Brusaw, project founder, estimates that 5 billion panels are needed for this country alone),
• Increase "local control, improve regional planning, and incentivize partnerships between the private and public sectors to fund and manage these critical assets.", 
• Provide "long-term surface transportation" solutions,
• Provide a "globally competitive infrastructure",
• Reduce transportation congestion,
• Reduce carbon produced by vehicle emissions,
• Reduces our dependence on oil for creating asphalt.
• Reduces our dependence on oil overall which is this century's growing security issue! 

And those are just a few of the positives indicated for this idea. Booz Allen Hamilton has one of the original working panels on display in their offices not far from your office in DC.

You are no doubt thinking this 'open letter' thing is more than a little bit gimmicky. I know it is. The climate change crisis is the most deadly challenge of our lifetimes and I see Congress' inaction on this to be a blunder of epic and historic proportions. By way of this 'gimmick' it is slightly more likely that you will actually read these words and consider taking action or at the very least, look further into this idea.

I am copying others who may join you in writing legislation from the other side of the aisle on the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee's hearing coming up on the 18th of this month on Climate Change may be as good a time as any for Congress to begin to consider this project.

And again, this letter will be posted online at my blog Exploring the Green Road. A hard copy will be sent to you by fax (and copied to others indicated below) with a page of links provided as well as contact information if you would like to talk with me directly.

Addressing this crisis will take courage. I ask that you do for the sake of our children and generations to come.

Sincerely,

Monica Jenkins
Constituent of District 14 

cc:
Nick J. Rahall, II, (D-West Virginia) Ranking Member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee;
Henry Waxman, (D-California) Ranking Member on the Energy and Commerce Committee;
Jan Schakowski, (D-Illinois) Member Energy and Commerce Committee.

See letter #1 HERE.