Energy and Water Development FY 2023

House Appropriations: Energy and Water Development, May 27, 2022

House Appropriations: Energy and Water Development, May 7, 2021

FY 2023

I propose we ELIMINATE ALL FUNDING for designing intelligent cars and developing charging stations and better batteries. Enough batteries have caught fire and enough automated cars have crashed into trees or humans to know that it is time to try something else. There are better modalities and they are available now.

Research funds can instead focus on the development of automated cars with central control (rather than its own AI) and energy distribution (rather than being hampered by economically damaging battery development). This  is old and proven technology, i.e., electric trains and buses.

We can pilot this now, in cooperation with the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Transportation, automobile manufacturers, utility companies and eventually selected local governments. 

The same consortia that fund the project can be the backbone for implementing it. Individuals could own cars, while some would be for hire (with monitoring, but not drivers). Debit cards or a link to checking accounts would pay for the car itself (either to rent or own), the roadway and the use of energy and computer services. 

Prices for accessing the road network would vary based on congestion and vehicles could be taken to a public transportation hub (which might be located at their children’s school), with the vehicle returning home empty or going to the next fare. If congestion is low, it may be affordable to drive to work. If it is high, prices for public transit and commuting would be adjusted accordingly.

Energy infrastructure to power the system and facilitate communication would also carry energy and data services, so add xFinity and Cox to the consortium. This also gives us the incentive to improve the grid.  We only need willingness to do this. The technology is already there.

Committee Reports and the Budget Process Video

Pilot projects, grants to improve the grid, water development and anything administered out of a regional office (or supporting it - such as telecommunications) could be classified regionally. Research grants would as well. Other items, including those involving production of nuclear fuel, would be counted outside regional estimates.

FY 2022

In 2007, I was employed as a contract administrator at the Department of Energy. During this time, a new energy bill was signed. Soon after, fusion research was cut. This was not our finest moment. After I left that office, Solyndra happened, largely because the Head of the Headquarters Service unit could not say not to the White House. He did not stay in that job.

Fusion is a game changer and should be funded on a crash basis before we have to turn out the lights to avoid treading water. Helium-3 is promising and there is even some noise about cold fusion on a larger scale. Energy companies like how cheap coal is and how much cheaper and more popular natural gas is. 

Utilities (and even coal producers) need to be offered a way to hedge their bets. To move fusion, set up a public-private partnership to sink in more money in exchange for the right of first use. Any practical use of fusion will be big-industry. It was never going to be any other way. Funds should be increased for fusion now, with a promise of ever greater funding once industrial partnerships are created.

One use for such cheap power is a new transportation system. We can pilot this now, in cooperation with the Departments of Commerce and Transportation, automobile manufacturers, utility companies and eventually selected local governments. I described the project in my CJS testimony. 

To best utilize clean energy (even natural automated cars with central control (rather than their own AI) and energy distribution (rather than being hampered by economically damaging battery development). The latter is old technology, i.e., electric trains and buses. 

The same consortia that fund the project can be the backbone for implementing it. Individuals could own cars, while some would be for hire (with monitoring, but not drivers). Debit cards or a link to checking accounts would pay for the car itself (either to rent or own), the roadway and the use of energy and computer services. 

Prices would vary based on congestion and vehicles could be taken to a public transportation hub (which might be located at their children’s school), with the vehicle returning home empty or going to the next fare. If congestion is low, it may be affordable to drive to work. If it is high, prices for public transit and commuting would be adjusted accordingly.

Energy infrastructure to power the system and facilitate communication would also carry energy and data services, so add xFinity and Cox to the consortium.

This also gives us the incentive to improve the grid and to redesign highways with driverless cars that won’t crash into trees and explode.

We only need willingness to do this. The technology is already there.

2023 Video