(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Frederic J. Frommer on February 12.)
WASHINGTON — Thirty years ago, Rep. Jim Oberstar testified in favor of his legislation to install solar panels at federal buildings. Now, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, he’s got the juice to make it happen – at least on a small scale.
On Monday, the House approved Oberstar’s bill to create a solar energy system at the Department of Energy building, with the hope that the project could serve as a model for all federal buildings.
“What better symbol than the Department of Energy itself, to operate on renewable energy?” Oberstar, D-Minn., asked in an interview. “Let’s showcase this project. Let’s show definitively this works.”
Oberstar’s 1977 bill called for the creation of a “Solar Energy Government Building Program” to install such systems in federal buildings.
“For 30 years, I’ve been trying to get this thing done. Now I’m the chairman, I can make it happen,” he said with a laugh.
Oberstar said the federal government has a responsibility to take the lead on the issue – to minimize global warming, increase energy independence and reduce the cost of solar energy.
“It’s our contribution,” said Oberstar, 72. “This is something so reasonable, so practical, it’s not far-out technology.”
Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the legislation sends a message to policy makers.
“It will be important to have a large-scale solar installation located in downtown D.C., if for no other reason than to prove to Congress and the administration that solar is no longer a demonstration project,” he said. “Solar needs to be part of our energy mix going forward.”
In 2006, Resch said, solar energy accounted for just 1/30th of 1 percent of all electricity generated in the U.S.
“This is the first step, and we would hope that we would see solar panels on all of the capital buildings and the White House,” he said.
Officials at the Energy Department did not return telephone messages on Monday.
Oberstar said that solar energy is just one of several areas he will be focusing on as committee chairman to address global warming. He said he would also seek to expand the fleet of alternative energy buses, and seek more money for Amtrak.
Specifically, Oberstar has asked his staff to determine the costs for upgrading the switches on the Northeast corridor, with the goal of increasing the speed of trains there to 125 mph. He said he also wants to look at proposals for new high-speed rail lines serving the Midwest.