We're lucky in Arizona to enjoy over 300 days of sunshine. As a result, we have a real opportunity to brighten our state's future and boost our economy by investing in solar energy research and technology.

Last week, I voted for, and the House approved, H.R. 3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap Act, to help spur further research and development of solar technology. The bill passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 310 to 106.

I believe that Arizona can be a leader in clean, alternative energy production. Refocusing our energy production on alternative sources such as solar is not only an environmental conservation issue, but is also a critical element in protecting our national security. Investing in solar energy technology can also help build towards a strong, sustainable economic future and create jobs.

The bill would establish a Solar Technology Roadmap Committee to evaluate near-term, mid-term, and long-term needs in solar technology research, development, and demonstration. It would include a variety of solar industry stakeholders to provide insights on how to best use this technology to create jobs and provide for a sustainable economic future. It would work to expedite improvements to solar technologies by identifying research goals that improve performance, decrease the cost of generated electricity, improve reliability, and maximize the environmental benefits of solar technologies.

Additionally, I offered an amendment to the bill to address an important obstacle blocking the advancement of solar technology today - specifically, technology startup costs are expensive. If we are serious about making large scale solar energy production a reality, it is critical that we focus our research efforts on making sure that solar technology is affordable and competitive with other sources of energy.

My amendment, which was accepted and passed, would ensure that the Solar Technology Roadmap includes research and development goals for improving the cost-effectiveness of domestic manufacturing of implements and devices used in the production of solar energy.

The Solar Technology Roadmap Act is now pending before the Senate, where I hope it will be swiftly approved.

As always, I look forward to being able to provide you with regular updates and continue our dialogue about alternative energy sources in the future.

Sincerely,

Harry Mitchell