Let's Make It Happen, Congress.

In the New York Times editorial by, Thomas L. Friedman, “Build ‘Em and They’ll Come,” Friedman tells us about an initiative proposed by President Obama “to plan to set up eight innovation hubs to solve the eight biggest energy problems in the world.” He explains that the program has not been fully funded because Congress “is reluctant to appropriate the full $25 million for each center…so only three are moving ahead.” Friedman thinks that all eight should be fully funded right now.

Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas L. Friedman, has been a writer for the New York Times since 1981. Friedman was awarded his first Pulitzer Prize for international reporting from Lebanon in 1983 and his second in 1988, also for international reporting from Israel. Thomas L. Friedman won his third Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for commentary.

In the introduction of the editorial, Friedman is telling Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, of Obama's proposed plan and that Congress has not fully funded the millions required to set up all eight innovation hubs. Mahbubani is in disbelief that his “little city-state” of Singapore has invested more than a billion dollars to make it a “biomedical science hub” that “[attracts] the world’s best talent” while America debates about “spending mere millions on “game-changing energy research.” The decision to fully fund the program seems like common sense to me. If a small city-state can spend billions for a science capital filled with the best of the best medical scientist, surely America can spend millions to create eight innovation hubs to make great advances in energy science.

Friedman says universities, national labs and private industry have been invited to create teams of their best scientists and research ideas to win funding. The advances that could be made could “spawn new jobs and industries.” So, we know the opportunity is there and the results will be great. All that is needed, now, is the funding, but Congress has appropriated only partial funding for three hubs for one year. $22 million or less for all of the following: energy efficient buildings, nuclear energy, and fuels from sunlight. Friedman’s view is that Congress should fund all eight hubs for five years for $1 billion so that we get “the benefit of all these scientists collaborating and cross-fertilizing.”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu referred to the hubs as “a series of mini-Manhattan projects,” an example of the type of success America can gain for investing in getting the top engineers and physicists to work together to make these energy breakthroughs. The word, breakthrough, is not to be overlooked. Full funding can lead to huge advancement instead of small improvements over the years. As Chu states, “The scientists and engineers see the problem; they see the opportunity; they see what is at stake, and they want to help.” So it’s time for Congress to get on board and fully fund all eight hubs now.