[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 160 (Friday, October 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10956-S10957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LEADING THE WAY ON GREEN JOBS

  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, my home State of Delaware has been the 
recipient of some good news this week and so I thought this would be a 
good time to come to the floor and discuss how Delaware is leading the 
way in responding to the challenge of climate change and creating green 
jobs.
  This is a critical time in our history. At stake are the jobs and 
economic future of our children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, as we 
emerge from this economic crisis, many of the jobs we have lost will 
not return. To make a full recovery, we need to create the next 
generation of jobs. I believe that the jobs leading the way will be the 
clean and green energy industries of tomorrow.
  I am proud to say that my home State of Delaware is already leading 
the way.
  Like many States, my State once had a proud record of automobile 
manufacturing. All of my colleagues know, though, that the recent 
economic downturn has hit already downtrodden auto companies especially 
hard, and, in recent months, our two auto plants were closed.
  This is not simply a question of economics.
  For the families who saw paychecks end and the dignity of work 
disappear, these closures were a real personal tragedy.
  The men and women who worked in our auto plants are some of the most 
dedicated, capable workers I have ever met. They embraced an American 
dream--the chance to work hard at a decent job and provide for a 
family. And then, in the midst of an economic crisis not seen in 
decades, they found themselves looking to start over.
  They did their job. They held up their side of the bargain. They went 
to work everyday and worked hard at their job--and in the process made 
our GM plant and our Chrysler plant two of the most productive and 
efficient plants around.
  That is why we from Delaware have been fighting to help them land on 
their feet. We know the potential of these trained, hard-working, eager 
employees, and we know the decency of these families.
  Just recently, I was able to join Vice President Biden, Delaware 
Governor Markell, and our congressional delegation in announcing that 
Fisker Automotive will begin building plug-in hybrids at the old 
General Motors Boxwood Road plant.
  In a few years time, we expect that Fisker will be building cars that 
get more than 100 miles per gallon--and building as many as 100,000 of 
them per year. This will mean nearly 1,500 permanent manufacturing 
jobs.
  Before we get there, there will be hundreds or thousands of good 
construction jobs created by revamping and renovating the plant to 
produce these state-of-the-art vehicles.
  But this happy tale is not possible without crucial support. Fisker 
was awarded a loan by the Department of Energy, part of a program 
designed to jump start the production of advanced vehicles.
  At the same time, Governor Jack Markell has worked hard to keep the 
plant in condition to be retooled, and to convince Fisker that Delaware 
offers the ideal market to begin building tomorrow's cars.
  And I believe the clincher was the highly trained workforce we had to 
offer.
  In fact, Fisker will be hiring many of the GM employees to work back 
in their old building--to work at building a state-of-the-art advanced 
car.
  At the same time, the University of Delaware has announced a plan to 
buy the old Chrylser Newark plant and convert it to an advanced 
research facility. These 272 acres adjacent to the campus are truly, as 
University of Delaware president Patrick Harker has said, a ``once in a 
lifetime opportunity.''
  And the university has indicated that much of this research and 
development to be carried out there will be toward the energy 
technologies we will need to combat climate change and to compete in 
tomorrow's economy.
  In fact, the university is already a leader in any of these fields. 
It is a recognized center of excellence for solar power research and 
education, as designated by the Department of Energy, and a center of 
excellence for composite materials as well.
  Just this week, the university was awarded nearly $4.5 million for 
research into magnetic materials from a new program called ARPA-E.
  The Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy has a mission, ``to 
develop nimble, creative, and inventive approaches to transform the 
global energy landscape while advancing America's technology 
leadership.''
  The research the University of Delaware is doing could greatly 
increase the efficiency of electric motors--for electric and hybrid 
vehicles and for wind turbines alike. At the same time,

[[Page S10957]]

it could drastically reduce our imports of rare Earth minerals that 
often come from the darkest corners of our world.
  At the same time, DuPont was winning $9 million from ARPA-E for its 
research into seaweed-based biobutanol.
  What is biobutanol, my colleagues may ask. The answer is that 
biobutanol is an advanced fuel designed for use in place of gasoline.
  We have heard a lot about ethanol and how it can transform our energy 
landscape and it will play a very significant role--and already does.
  But it is not flawless. It tends to be corrosive, meaning that we 
cannot use our existing pipeline infrastructure and that we must 
retrofit our vehicles.
  At the same time, it has a lower energy density than gasoline--in 
other words, fewer miles per gallon.
  Biobutanol may very well have fixed those problems. It has nearly the 
energy density of gasoline and is much less corrosive than ethanol. And 
now, thanks to research from DuPont and others, we are learning how to 
make it from seaweed.
  Imagine a scalable source of biomass--solar-powered, low-carbon 
bioenergy--that does not take up existing arable land or demand potable 
water.
  Imagine a fuel built from that source that operates like conventional 
gasoline.
  Wouldn't that be a big step forward for addressing our climate 
challenges and for ensuring that tomorrow's vehicles will be powered by 
American ideas?
  And DuPont is leading in several other fields. It is an innovator in 
thin-film solar panels, cellulosic ethanol, and fuel cells.
  Across town, W.L. Gore, whom we all know for the miracle fabric Gore-
Tex, is a market leader in the membranes essential for fuel cells.
  If we hope to move someday to a hydrogen vehicle, and I do, we will 
need their expertise and excellence.
  Perhaps the most significant renewable energy project underway in 
Delaware, however, is actually happening just outside of Delaware. It 
is happening in our ocean.
  A company called Bluewater Wind is leading the way in developing 
offshore wind power in the United States.
  In countries like Denmark and the United Kingdom, they have already 
recognized that the abundant ocean breezes provide a vast, constant, 
renewable source of electricity. It is time for us to catch up.
  In fact, the Delaware offshore wind park will be larger than all 
offshore wind farms currently in existence, although other large farms 
are being planned and built in other countries.
  What it will be is America's first.
  In fact, Delaware yesterday hosted the Nation's first Federal 
offshore renewable energy task force meeting.
  When the Department of Energy has concluded that offshore wind can 
meet 70 percent of all domestic electricity needs, how can we afford to 
ignore this resource?
  And when nations around the world have wind, waves, and electricity 
demand, shouldn't we try to claim the leadership position in this 
technology?
  That is why I am glad that the Federal Government, by providing the 
right incentives for wind power, and the State of Delaware, by working 
with Bluewater to ensure that there will be demand for that power, have 
convinced Bluewater Wind that Delaware is the place to start.
  Mr. President, I could name hundreds of other areas where Delaware 
and Delawareans are leading the way in creating tomorrow's jobs.
  We are installing combined heat and power projects to increase the 
efficiency of a chemical factory and of a community college. Our port 
is aiming to revamp its infrastructure to take advantage of green 
technologies that will make it cleaner and cheaper to operate.
  We have set up an innovative new financing mechanism, the Sustainable 
Energy Utility, that will help get clean technologies through the so-
called ``valley of death.'' Even our schools are getting in on the act, 
installing solar panels on gymnasium rooftops.
  We have small start up companies that are leading the way on a whole 
host of technologies, from less toxic disinfectants to safety 
reflectors, windmills and biofuels to recycling old carpet.
  Companies like ILC Dover, that manufacture components of space suits, 
are leading the way in developing advanced materials, while CMI 
Electric, a solar panel seller and installer, has a banner on its Web 
site that says ``We are hiring apply here.'' We need more of those five 
words.

  I congratulate the leaders of my State, in industry and government, 
in academia and private life, for recognizing that the future of our 
economy and, thus, the legacy we leave future generations depends on 
leading the way on green technologies and in green industries.

                          ____________________