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novation and allow American businesses to commercialize and manufacture technologies here in the U.S.


HE&IT: What should the government’s role be in fostering innovation? Hall: Part of America’s greatness lies in the vast opportunities available to our citizens. Americans have always had the opportunity to turn a good idea into a successful business, and because of this, the U.S. has led the world in innovation. Responsible science and technology policy can help America maintain this leadership. By cutting wasteful spend- ing—while supporting targeted invest- ments in R&D—we can modernize and grow our economy.


HE&IT: As you know, the Obama ad- ministration put $93 billion in stimu- lus money into green energy technol- ogy. Was that a wise investment? Why or why not? Hall: I don’t think that the stimulus spending was a wise investment. The stimulus bill was marketed to the public as a way to create jobs immediately, yet R&D investments in basic research take many years to materialize into some- thing that can be commercialized and create jobs. Appropriate investments in energy R&D must be made prudently, and within the confines of a disciplined budget. Throwing money at a problem and hoping for results is simply not go- ing to work.


A non-partisan economic review of the European experience with green energy subsidies concluded that in Spain, 2.2 jobs were lost for every one green job created, and wind and solar power have raised household energy prices by 7.5 percent in Germany.


I think we need to look at our neigh- bors’ experiences and realize that we cannot continue to spend massive amounts of money and try to sell them as investments that will create jobs. What will create jobs is expanding do- mestic production of affordable energy, which is something this administration fails miserably on.


www.hispanicengineer.com


HE&IT: What will it take to get more His- panics into the STEM fields? Hall: I think it all begins in the home– and certainly in the classroom. For anyone to become interested in STEM there needs to be a spark. It could be a passionate parent or teacher, watching a live video of a rendez- vous in space, or a science fair project that captures the imagination. But after that spark, there also needs to be plenty of support and op- portunity in order to continue on that path.


“Part of America’s greatness lies in the vast opportunities available to our citizens. Americans have always had the opportunity to turn a good idea into a successful business, and because of this, the U.S. has led the world in innovation.”


—Rep. Ralph Hall


ments, coupled with industry, will recognize these good ideas and provide support and incentives.


HE&IT: What is your view of global warming? Is it real? Are we moving too quickly to ad- dress it? Hall: I have met with scientists on both sides of the issue. The Cato Institute released a list of 100 re- spected scientists who all agree that the characteriza- tion of the scien- tific facts regard-


HE&IT: What should government do to encourage that? Hall: In my congressional district in Texarkana, Texas, [there] is a school that is changing the way kids get involved in STEM. The Martha and Josh Morriss Mathematics and Engineering Elementa- ry School is part of a collaborative effort between Texas A&M University and the Texarkana Independent School District. It offers a structured K-16 pathway for students to become interested in STEM fields and to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering.


Former Committee Chairman Bart Gordon and I were privileged to visit this phenomenal campus together and see first-hand one of only a few public- model schools currently in the nation focused specifically on elementary engineering and mathematics. This is the type of thing that can be replicated in other towns, and perhaps could be an avenue to get underrepresented minor- ity students more interested in STEM fields. I think that it’s going to take inno- vative ideas like this to make progress, and hopefully state and local govern-


ing climate change and the degree of certainty informing the scientific debate is simply incorrect. I think there is a tendency within the climate community to brush off criticism of what they like to call the consensus. I think that some scientists on that list could know what they’re doing, and we shouldn’t be so quick as to ignore the minority view- point. We need to get both sides before Congress to explain their views.


Policy wise, I am very alarmed that the EPA and Obama administration are forging ahead and are taking steps to promote federal regulations of carbon dioxide. I think that the EPA’s endanger- ment finding was rushed out the door, without regard to its overall economic impact, and despite the EPA’s own ac- knowledgement that their proposal will cause job losses in the United States.


HE&IT: You have spoken out against the Obama administration’s abandon- ment—at least in the short term–of human space exploration. Why was that a bad decision? Hall: In these tough economic times, we must prioritize federal spending to


HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | 2011 7


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