Reviewing the Green Energy Job Program that Farouk Shami is proposing during his 2010 campaign for Governor of Texas, one word will surely come to mind: Wow. It is so hard to believe that Farouk Shami, who came to the US 44 years ago with less than $75, has proposed a program that could excel Texas and its residents exceptionally and like never before. When he originally moved to Houston, TX, Shami built a company that provided Texas with thousands of jobs; not to mention the 1,200 manufacturing jobs he brought from oversees. As Farouk Shami has continued to boost the job market in Texas, he also developed a fully innovative program that, if implemented properly and fully committed to, will not only bring forth several thousand jobs and a new job sector within Texas, but also an energy-efficient state with a clean environment, years ahead of its time.
Starting Small
The program starts small with basic energy-saving renovations to homes and businesses. This would include replacing older appliances with newer and more energy efficient appliances, swapping regular light bulbs for CFL’s, replacing street lights and signs with LED lights, reinforcing and upgrading insulation and heating and cooling vents, etc. State government buildings would be optimized for energy conservation under the program, with several incentives for local governments to participate, as well as individuals that are seeking to cut back on energy in the home. Yes, as this proposes money saved on electric bills, this can be quite cost consuming for the families it will help the most: low income families. Shami doesn’t disregard this point; in fact, he has identified the issue and proposed a solution as well. For these families, financing will be possible with up to 5 years no interest accrued; the financing will be tied to the home so if it is sold the total cost is due at the closing of the sale.
Emerging Technology Fund
Shari proposes an Emerging Technology Fund be implemented with a starting capital of $500 million dollars. It is quite a bit of money, so of course everyone wants to know what for. This fund will be used to create, research, and optimize technologies that could be used for energy conservation. This is where the program begins to formulate itself into a powerhouse of innovation. Not only will the fund support research and technology development, but also expansion of natural energy sources such as wind powered energy and solar panels. The fund will also produce scholarship awards for low income students wishing to enter the field and work with these technologies.
A New Job Sector
In order to manage this green energy, there is a new job sector that will develop within Texas. What does this mean? There will be several job openings for thousands of Texans. Of course these jobs will need training and proper education, so the program proposes an opening of a vocational school program that can be funded through the Fund’s scholarships. There is also a proposal for expansion of the amount of wind and solar farms throughout Texas. As it is evaluated that there is a great deal of valuable land that can be used for these purposes, there are tax incentives, rebates, and even reselling options for both businesses and home owners that wish to participate and purchase these natural resource technologies. There will be manufacturing plants needed to accommodate this growth in natural technology demand so this will also introduce several thousand jobs and many opportunities for profit and great savings throughout the entire state.
Final Improvements
In order to fully support the energy grid and balance it throughout the state, there will need to be upgrades to the transmission lines that lead from the competitive renewable energy zones to the suburban areas of Texas. The program also proposes the introduction of electric and biofuel vehicles throughout the state, starting with the state government vehicles, encouraged for the local government vehicles, and many incentives provided for the purchase of these vehicles by the states residents.