El narco-régimen criminal de Maduro ha violado repetidamente el acuerdo de Barbados, todo mientras continúa socavando a la principal líder opositora de Venezuela, María Corina Machado. Actualmente, varios miembros del equipo de campaña de Machado permanecen detenidos...
News
Latest News
Rubio, Risch on Biden Administration’s Decision Not to Extend Oil License to Criminal Maduro Regime
The criminal Maduro narco-regime has repeatedly violated the Barbados agreement as it continues to undermine the leading Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado. Currently, several members of Machado’s campaign team remain arbitrarily detained. Every action...
Rubio Praises Graham’s Service
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement following the death of former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham. “Bob Graham was a selfless public servant, whose legacy and impact will live on. From his days in the state House to his days in the...
Rubio: Investigate Shein and Temu for Slave Labor
Fast fashion retailer, Shein, and e-commerce company, Temu, have exploded in popularity despite evidence that both companies are exporting goods to the United States made with Uyghur slave labor. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) Uyghur Forced Labor...
Rubio y Kaine Aplauden Aprobación del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores de su Legislación para Imponer Sanciones a Nicaragua
Durante una reunión del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores, la Ley de Restauración de la Soberanía y los Derechos Humanos en Nicaragua, de autoría de los senadores estadounidenses Marco Rubio (R-FL) y Tim Kaine (D-VA), pasó favorablemente. El proyecto de ley bipartidista...
Rubio, Kaine Applaud Committee Passage of Nicaragua Sanctions Bill
During a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations business meeting, the Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act, co-led by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), was favorably reported. The bipartisan and bicameral bill now heads to the...
ICYMI: Rubio on Fixing Florida’s Energy Transformer Shortage
Fixing Florida’s Energy-Transformer Crisis
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
August 2, 2022
RealClear Florida
…[T]he United States is experiencing more and more grid failures. Those failures come from multiple causes,…[but] it’s all made worse by our dependence on far-flung supply chains.
The U.S. imports more than 80 percent of its large power transformers. Twenty percent of those come from East Asia and Europe, which are now struggling to deliver products…. The result is a scarcity of energy grid supplies––and greater risk for Americans.
The risk is especially high in Florida, where exposure to tropical storms increases the likelihood of power loss. In 2018, Hurricane Michael…knocked out electricity to millions across the Southeast…. Fortunately, Florida utilities were prepared for the devastation back then. Today,…[e]lectric utilities across the country, including here in Florida, scramble to find reliable sources of transformers and other grid components….
Cooperative and municipal utilities are taking steps to alleviate the short-term shortages, but they can only do so much…. The shortages are also affecting newly built communities, which are unable to go online because of the lack of transformers.
Our current troubles show how foolish we were to offshore production of critical industries to unstable or hostile nations halfway across the world…. To change course, I’ve introduced legislation to establish a new loan-guarantee program that would provide $8 billion to American companies to rebuild domestic manufacturing of critical electric grid components, like transformers.
Such programs have been successful in the past…. What’s more, my bill would be completely paid for by funds already appropriated to support the electric vehicle industry. These funds have sat unused for a decade. Why not use them to do some real good?
In Washington, serious disagreements remain over climate and energy policy, but here is a common-sense solution to a pressing problem. Instead of getting tangled up in typical partisan bickering, let’s use the resources we already have on hand to expand our energy-grid component manufacturing and protect Americans from power loss.
Read the rest here.