Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

TheHill.com

September 23, 2010

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has a proud and distinguished record of training this nation’s fighter pilots and protecting our country’s air space for more than eight decades.

Soon, D-M will write a new chapter in American leadership by having the military’s largest solar-generating capacity.

The base will turn to the sun for one-third of its power needs, relying on what will be one of the nation’s biggest solar power plants – a 14.5-megawatt photovoltaic array slated for construction next year. That will give D-M the military’s largest photovoltaic plant, surpassing the 14.2-megawatt array built at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada three years ago.

D-M already is home to the largest solar neighborhood in the nation. Some 6 megawatts of solar generating capacity has been installed at the Soaring Heights community on the base, meeting about 75 percent of the peak power demand in the housing area.

In the past, an Air Force base would not normally have been considered a paragon of sustainable energy. After all, the Department of Defense is the world’s largest user of energy. Each day, the U.S. military consumes nearly 400,000 barrels of fuel, spending $20 billion annually to meet its needs.

However, military leaders across the country have come to recognize the dangerous implications of our dependence on fossil fuels. The security of our troops and of our nation’s electric grid can no longer depend on hostile regimes and harmful fuels. The military understands the benefits of strategic investment in clean, domestic sources of energy and is taking swift and serious action.

D-M’s ground-mounted solar array will be built by Maryland-based SunEdison and cover about 130 acres on the base’s northwest and north sides. Construction will begin next year and the solar equipment will be fully operational within 36 months.

The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System also is leaping into the solar race in Southern Arizona – a move that promises to produce significant long-term savings for taxpayers.

The VA recently completed a 302-kilowatt, photovoltaic array that tracks the sun. More is on the way, with a 2.9-megawatt carport-mounted system – the largest of its kind in the United States – planned for the VA hospital.

When it comes to solar, Tucson and Southern Arizona get it. The past 12 to 18 months have seen a phenomenal jump in the number of solar panels installed here and the amount of energy that we are producing locally, from the sun, not from unsustainable, imported sources.

Solar energy is an economic powerhouse. Nationwide, the solar industry and its supply chain now support roughly 46,000 jobs in the United States. With growth expected to continue, that number is likely to surpass 60,000 by the end of 2010. The solar industry can contribute significantly to job growth and economic recovery in Arizona.

Solar is an economic driver in Southern Arizona, with manufacturers, installers, municipalities, universities, utilities and local, state, and federal governments all taking action to develop our solar industry.

Tucson Electric Power Co. has been a leader in this switch to solar, thanks to the leadership of Paul Bonavia, chairman, president and CEO of UniSource Energy, parent company of TEP.

In the first six months of 2010, nearly 1,100 homeowners installed residential solar systems with SunShare rebates from TEP. That is more residential solar systems than had been installed in the previous nine years in TEP’s service area.

The city of Tucson, designated a Solar America City, has 13 solar projects planned – projects that will generate about 1.3 megawatts of power. Pima County has several solar projects completed and several more in the planning stages – projects that will save taxpayers about $552,000 per year.

The University of Arizona has a diverse range of innovative solar research projects underway – projects designed to make solar even more affordable and more efficient. The Solar Zone at UA’s Science and Technology Park will generate 20 megawatts of power and is envisioned as the largest multi-technology site for solar technologies in the United States.

Nonprofit organizations also are finding that solar is right for them, allowing scarce funding to be spent on their missions instead of on utility bills.

In Tucson, the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross is the first Red Cross facility in the nation to be solar-powered. And the Community Food Bank is installing solar panels on a covered parking structure, saving the organization $10,000 per year – money that can be spent to help hungry Tucsonans.

Just up the road from Tucson is the granddaddy of all projects: Solana. Starting in 2013, this cutting-edge generating station near Gila Bend will light 70,000 Arizona homes with 280 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. This plant will be privately funded and operated in partnership with Arizona Public Service– but was made possible by a $1.45 billion federal loan guarantee.

It is widely accepted that we are at the beginning of a major expansion of solar energy use in Arizona, the United States and around the world.

The question is not if we will see increasing demand for solar power in the coming years, it is only whether Arizona will dominate this emerging industry or will settle for a small slice of the pie.

We have the talent, skills, and resources to lead all aspects of the solar industry – from research and development to product design, from manufacturing to installation, from the exporting of solar products to the exporting of clean solar power itself.

Our state can and must be at the very epicenter of this burgeoning industry.

Now is the time for us to focus our efforts and make Arizona the best place in the world for the solar industry to do business.

For 75 years, Social Security has been a bedrock promise between generations.

The generation working now pays into it so that the generation that has retired can do so in dignity. People who are retired right now have earned that dignity with a lifetime of hard work, and it should be there for them as promised. Those who propose to “privatize” Social Security, allow younger workers to “opt out,” or contribute to “personal accounts” instead, usually fail to mention two hard truths.

Hard truth number one: If enough of today’s workers “opt out” of paying into Social Security, eventually benefits will have to be cut.

Hard truth number two: If enough of today’s workers invest in personal accounts and the stock market takes a dive, benefits will have to be cut.

Social Security is a critical source of income for retired Americans. Nine out of 10 Americans over 65 years of age receive benefits. Without Social Security, half of America’s seniors would live in poverty. This includes 235,000 seniors in Arizona.

I am dedicated to strengthening Social Security’s long-term finances so that it continues to provide a guaranteed base of retirement, disability and survivor’s income for current and future generations.

I oppose the privatization of Social Security. I am unwilling to gamble it in the stock market. I am also unwilling to raise the eligibility age as some in my own party have proposed.

In these difficult economic times, the guaranteed benefits of Social Security are more important than ever.

Like a car, Social Security does not run indefinitely; it requires care and maintenance. The formula has been tweaked in the past — successfully — and it is time to bring Social Security in for service again. But it is hardly time to trade it in.

The Social Security trust fund is solvent, and will remain so into the 2030s. Modest adjustments can extend that solvency.

For example, the system could implement progressive price indexing. This would make initial benefits more accurately reflect prices, instead of simply reflecting wages. This is one factor currently being considered by a bipartisan commission, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which is due to report by the end of the year.

We have time to think carefully about how to strengthen Social Security. The Social Security Trust Fund will continue to bring in more money than it expends in the coming years. A spike in Social Security beneficiaries will create a deficit in the Social Security Trust Fund in the 2030s. That is why we are taking steps to identify the gaps and improve the formula now.

The recommendations of the bipartisan commission — staffed by economic experts — should be our starting point for evaluating the steps needed to keep Social Security going strong for the next 75 years.

While these long-term recommendations are being formulated, I am promoting policies that protect Social Security benefits.

• I cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal two provisions that short some seniors on their benefits.

• I cosponsored a bill to provide a one-time $250 payment for retirees if there is no cost of living adjustment to Social Security this year.

Social Security is a promise between generations that a lifetime of hard work and playing by the rules will be recognized by future generations. I am committed to protecting that promise and finding practical solutions to ensure it is kept for generations to come.

Encouraging the next generation to “opt out” and walk away from the promise that has been kept for the past 75 years isn’t just dangerous. It’s wrong.

By Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

TheHill.com

Arizonans have waited a long time for the deployment of the National Guard in our state. Their arrival represents a renewed national commitment to protecting our border communities from drug cartels and smugglers.

I join with my fellow Arizonans in welcoming the National Guard to the border. Each of these service members decided on their own to come to one of our nation’s harshest deserts at one of the hottest times of the year to answer our nation’s call. For that they deserve our sincere gratitude.

The commitment of these soldiers is an inspiration to us all. Our men and women in uniform – whether active duty or reserve – make up the best fighting force in the world. The American military is second to none and now Arizonans can breathe a little easier knowing they are standing guard on our border.

While I have no doubt that these soldiers and airmen will play a critical role in helping the U.S. Border Patrol fulfill its mission, I remain deeply concerned about the length of time it took for them to get here. It should not have taken this long to get National Guard boots on the border in Arizona.

On March 27 – more than five months ago – Rob Krentz, a longtime rancher in Southeastern Arizona and one of my constituents, was killed on his land. No one has been arrested but authorities tracked the killer, believed to be a drug smuggler, south to the border.

Within days of that tragedy, I asked President Obama to deploy the National Guard to help the Border Patrol – especially in the rural parts of my state. I repeated that request numerous times and was joined by a bipartisan group of my colleagues from at least five states.

Finally in May, it was announced that 1,200 National Guard troops would be sent to the border. And now today – more than three months later – they finally are here. Like many of my constituents, my reaction can be summed up in three words: It’s about time.

Securing our borders and protecting our citizens are the most essential responsibilities of the federal government. Today’s arrival of the National Guard will move us closer to that goal.

By Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

TucsonSentinel.com

A leading national business magazine has crowned Arizona the nation’s Solar Energy King – a prestigious honor that portends explosive growth in our state’s rush to embrace power from the sun instead of power from petroleum.

Business Facilities magazine, a respected 40-year-old publication, said Arizona “easily took the top ranking” as first in the nation for being a leader in the alternative-energy and solar-manufacturing industries.

To which I say, thanks for noticing the progress that we have made – and the much more aggressive moves just around the corner.

Read the whole article here.

By Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

The Hill Congress Blog

I would like you to imagine a scene that took place in Congress over a controversial bill.

One congressman from Ohio called the bill “nefarious.” His colleague from Pennsylvania condemned it as an “orgy of ruthless spending.”

These lawmakers weren’t fighting about health care, border security or stimulus spending. And the debate that sparked their fury wasn’t even recent.

No, this debate took place 75 years ago this month as the House of Representatives debated and finally passed Social Security legislation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who conducted a tireless fight during the dark days of the Great Depression, to pass the legislation, signed it into law on Aug. 14, 1935.

In the ensuing three-quarters of a century, Social Security often has been misunderstood and frequently blamed for many perceived ills of the federal government. But with all due respect to the program’s early congressional opponents, Social Security has proven to be resounding success.

Social Security is the foundation of the modern U.S. pension system. It never was intended to provide an individual’s complete retirement income, but rather to be part of a three-legged income stool, supplementing an employer’s pension and an employee’s personal savings.

From its inception, some critics felt Social Security was an ill-advised interference with personal liberty that would undermine self-reliance. But the program, born in an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion, has worked remarkably well.

Social Security has drastically reduced poverty among elderly and disabled Americans, constituting more than half of the income of nearly two-thirds of retired Americans. For 1 in 6 Americans, Social Security is their only income.

Without Social Security, the number of older Americans living in poverty would be 1 in 2. Because of Social Security, it is only 1 in 12. In Arizona alone, Social Security is preventing 235,000 older people from living in poverty.

Nonetheless, Social Security is not without its critics – including those who call for the partial or even complete privatization of the system.

The impetus for such a dramatic change is clear. Up until this year, tax receipts and other income to the Social Security trust fund have exceeded expenditures. But that trend is slipping away.

This year and next, expenses and payments will exceed revenue. The system is expected to operate in the black for a couple of years after that, but in 2015 – only five years from today – benefits payments will start exceeding tax collections for the foreseeable future.

This is due largely to the inescapable demographic trend created by the Baby Boom generation. Between 2010 and 2030, the number of people aged 65 and older is projected to grow by 76 percent while the number of workers supporting the system is projected to grow by only 6 percent. This spike in Social Security beneficiaries will create a deficit in the Social Security Trust fund beginning in 2037.

But it is important to put the problem in perspective. Experts have projected that if revenue were increased by about one-half of 1 percent, it would make Social Security stable well into the 22nd century.

The president’s deficit commission, which is charged with developing a bipartisan plan to stabilize the soaring national debt, is evaluating a wide range of options to ensure the long-term stability of Social Security.

We can and we will find reasonable ways to make Social Security stable without switching to a risky privatization system. I am unwilling to gamble with seniors’ financial security in the stock market.

While the stock market may – and I stress may – return higher returns over a long period of time, one need only look at the wild gyrations in the past couple of years to see the kind of immense damage privatization could do to seniors too old to wait for a rebound.

For three-quarters of a century, we have proven the critics of 1935 wrong. Social Security is hardly “nefarious.” This “orgy of ruthless spending” has become America’s most successful retirement protection program – and it continues to serve Americans well.

I am dedicated to strengthening Social Security’s long-term finances so that it continues to provide a guaranteed base of retirement, disability and survivor’s income for current and future generations. Seniors have put in a lifetime of hard work, helping to make our economy grow and make our nation great. I refuse to play games with their security and well-being.

Sierra Vista Herald –

By U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

A leading national business magazine has crowned Arizona the nation’s Solar Energy King — a prestigious honor that portends explosive growth in our state’s rush to embrace power from the sun instead of power from petroleum.

(more…)

The Hill Congress Blog

It was Ronald Reagan who famously said, “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”

That may have been the case in 1981 when Reagan took office. But today, the deficit is so bloated – more than five times what it was at the beginning of Reagan’s presidency – that it is far too corpulent to care for itself.

(more…)

At the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 13, Commissioner Bud Selig was heavily pressured to move next year’s game from Phoenix because of Arizona’s immigration law.

To his credit, Selig refused to accede to the demands, correctly pointing out that neither keeping the game in Phoenix nor moving it would affect Arizona lawmakers.

“We’ll do things when baseball can influence decisions,” Selig wisely told The New York Times. “I’ll say that very clearly. And this situation will be solved in the political process at the appropriate time.”

Good for Bud Selig.

(more…)

Dear Friend,

I’d like to wish a very happy Father’s Day to all of the great Arizona dads. From caring for scraped knees and helping with homework to giving good advice and hugs when it’s needed most, thank you for all that you do and the many roles you play. I hope you enjoy the heartfelt homemade cards, coffee mugs and new ties that come your way today. You’ve earned them!

(more…)

By Gabrielle Giffords

The Hill

Our nation’s border security efforts are a litany of failure.

Robert Krentz was a victim of that failure, murdered by a suspected drug smuggler on a Southern Arizona ranch that has been in his family since territorial days.

Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy Louie Puroll was a victim of that failure, shot by a suspected drug smuggler while on patrol in a remote stretch of desert south of Phoenix.

(more…)