Solar Technology Roadmap Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise again to support the Solar Technology Roadmap Act and of course Mr. Hastings and the work that he has done. I had offered an amendment that got included to authorize the Secretary of Energy to study micropower solar power technology used in underserved communities that lack basic electric and traditional powers.

I think my friends from Texas are familiar with the colonias. They understand that this is important to provide power to those areas that have literally no electricity. And this particular bill and this particular amendment will go a long way to make sure that these communities are provided the support they need.

What this calls for is for the Secretary to provide a study to take the resources that we have, especially in south Texas, the sunlight, and put it to work to power these communities.

We have worked together to work and put some micro power stations to use in areas like Webb County in south Texas, and I believe that by getting these recommendations to be sent to Congress for increasing assets to solar energy and to help address the problems that exist in those low-income communities, this will go a long way. We can harness this 21st century technology to bring these areas out of 19th century conditions.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you very much, and also Ms. Giffords, and our ranking member.

I urge Members to vote for the Hastings amendment, and of course for this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the manager's amendment to the Solar Technology Roadmap Act.

I authored an amendment, included in this manager's amendment, to authorize the Secretary of Energy to study micro power solar power technology use in underserved communities that lack basic electric or traditional power infrastructure.

I thank the distinguished Chairman Ms. GIFFORDS for including my amendment in the manager's amendment. This important amendment will go a long way towards helping communities along the southern border.

In my home state of Texas, many of these communities are called colonias.

They are commonly found on the United States/Mexico border, in underdeveloped areas across the state, and also in areas of New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

These communities exist with conditions typically found only in developing nations--no plumbing, no roads, and no power.

Texas has both the largest number of colonias and the largest colonia population.

According to the State of Texas, about 400,000 Texans live in colonias.

The development of Texas colonias dates back to least the 1950s, when developers created unincorporated subdivisions using agriculturally worthless land or land that lay in floodplains or in other rural properties.

They divided the land into small lots, put in little or no infrastructure, and then sold them to low-income individuals seeking affordable housing.

This study will hopefully take a resource that is vast in South Texas, sunlight, and put it to work to serve and power these communities.

I have worked in the past to put these micro power stations to use in Webb County, to provide small, isolated communities with power, and this amendment builds on that to hopefully expand power to so many more families of South Texas.

The manager's amendment includes my plan to direct the Secretary of Energy to present to Congress recommendations for increasing access to solar energy and to help address the problems that exist in these low income communities.

We can harness this 21st century technology to bring these areas out of 19th century conditions.

Mr. Chairman, I applaud your leadership on this important Manager's amendment, and I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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