U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown visited the Center for Automotive Research Jan. 15 to promote the need for a comprehensive national energy policy. Brown lauded the energy work at CAR as an example of how Ohio, with its agriculture industry, entrepreneurial spirit and manufacturing base, is positioned to become the “Silicon Valley of alternative energy.”
Congress, he said, in addition to its recent passage of higher mile-per-gallon vehicle fuel efficiency requirements, should push for renewable portfolio standards to require electricity providers to obtain a minimum percentage of their power from renewable energy resources by a certain date; a long-term extension of the production tax credit for alternative energy; and continued scientific research like that conducted at CAR. A national commitment to alternative energy, Brown said, would reduce dependence on foreign oil and would create jobs in Ohio from investments in manufacturing components for biomass, geothermal, solar and wind energy.
At the request of Challenge X team member Craig Pavlich, a senior in mechanical engineering, Brown took a moment during his visit to sign the engine cover of the vehicle. His message to the students: “What incredible work you are doing.”