I own a Tesla. There I’ve said it. I love my electric car. I tell people all the time, “it’s like driving a space ship.” And no, I’ve never driven a space ship but I just assume it would feel something like driving a Tesla. With that said, I also drive a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 big ass pickup truck (official Texas phrase) that I think gets something like two miles to the gallon.
Pickup trucks and gas are big bidness in Texas, especially in CD36 where I am running for Congress. So, when I write a post like this for my website, it raises some (ok, many) eyebrows:
China just announced a plan to do away with gasoline powered cars and make strides towards more innovative sources of power starting now. This shift towards exploring new energy technologies should be a wake-up call for Southeast Texas – before we become the coal miners of the future.
I knew my career as a female rock radio personality would be short lived, it was the nature of the beast. While I worked in the field, I saw many large corporations coming in and buying up stations and consolidating jobs. It was only a matter of time before one deejay would be broadcasting on stations across the country, replacing 20-30-40 deejays and their salaries. I knew to plan ahead.
That is what we need to do in Southeast Texas, home to ONE THIRD of all the oil and gas production in the country. It is our life blood; fueling our cities and economy with jobs, as the fossil fuel industry fills countless plants and office buildings within the region.
We need to start thinking about filling those plants and buildings with jobs of the future. And we need to do it now. If we continue to wait for the inevitable, others will have progressed ahead and the energy industry will have long moved from the Texas Gulf Coast.
Solar power, wind power, electric cars, and alternative fuels – what are we doing to grab our piece of the pie?
China is starting now. When will the USA? Texas? CD36? When will we?
This is just one of many reasons I decided to run. Oil and gas are big business and will continue to be big business in my district, but we need to get serious about future energies and we need to get serious now. China is starting now. India is looking to go all electric by 2032. That is not all that far off.
As a fifth generation Texan, I know we have to embrace our oil and gas heritage and economy but we need to bring future technologies and future jobs into play as well — the sooner the better.
Stop talking and start doing. That’s my plan…
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Note: I am currently focusing most of my efforts on Hurricane Harvey recovery and rebuilding in my Southeast Texas district. While I do that, I have a big favor to ask the Daily Kos community. Help me fundraise to get Brian Babin (R) out of Congress and back into his dental office where he belongs. He is supported strongly by the oil and gas and petrochemical plants that put so many of us in danger during Hurricane Harvey. This will be a tough race but I know I can win it and do a better job for we the people. DONATE HERE and then share with your network. Let’s get the word out and turn Texas blue! Thanks much.