Giffords was shot in the head at point blank range on Saturday afternoon, one of 20 people alleged shot by Jared Lee Loughner, who has been in police custody since shortly after the incident. Six people were killed, including a federal court judge and a nine year old girl who was born on 11 September 2001.
The Congresswoman is now in an induced coma in a Tucson hospital, and doctors are “cautiously optimistic about her recovery.”
Giffords, who won re-election to the US House after a hard-fought campaign last fall, made renewable energy a centrepiece of her campaign.
During her two terms Giffords was an important proponent of the eight-year extension of the solar investment tax credit and the one-year extension of the Treasury Grant Program. She also sponsored the Solar Technology Roadmap Act in 2009, which committed over $2 billion to new research partnerships and demonstration projects for solar energy technologies, and a key role in securing a $1.45 billion loan guarantee from the US government for a 280 MW photovoltaic facility in her home state.
Giffords, who is married to space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly, often compared the push to develop domestic sources of renewable energy to the American space program, and yet she also sought to demystify solar power and make it part of her constituents’ every day life.
Among her initiatives toward this end, were Solar Power 101, which the Congresswomen launched in 2007, and sought to teach Arizonans about solar power and the opportunities inherent in developing the renewables sector, and the Solar Schools Act, which provided funding to help public schools install solar panels.
She also maintains a solar energy page on her official web site which offers constituents the opportunity to sign up for her solar energy newsletter.
In the wake of the shooting, Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association said, “In her short time in Congress, Gabby has realized a number of accomplishments covering a wide range of issues.
“For our industry, she has constantly positioned herself as one of the go-to champions for solar in the House of Representatives. In two terms, Congresswoman Giffords was a key supporter in the House as SEIA pushed for the 8-year extension of the solar investment tax credit and the recent one-year extension of the Treasury Grant Program,” he said.
In addition, Giffords introduced the Solar Technology Roadmap Act, which would dedicate over $2 billion to new research partnerships and demonstration projects for solar energy technologies.
She has also sought to lead by example, having installed a 2 kW photovoltaic system on her Tucson home last year.
For additional information:
US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords official web site
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