Driving electric is good for America

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Driving electric is good for America

BY JAMES BROCK

As an Air Force veteran, I proudly served this nation. I’m pro-Constitution. I’m well-read and know and understand history. I’m also very much in favor of a free and competitive market. And I drive electric for several reasons: to protect national security, to achieve energy security through independence from oil, to create American jobs in EV-related industries, and to foster economic prosperity.

The U.S. military spends about $81 billion from taxpayers per year to protect oil infrastructure and transit routes. The need to constantly manage our relationship with OPEC countries, that do not share our values, diverts resources from more critical strategic threats. Our dependence on oil puts countless service members’ lives at risk and reinforces our reliance on a volatile and unstable global market with the potential to devastate the U.S. economy. The transition to an all-electric transportation system, where power is made locally, bolsters our national security, creates American jobs, and stabilizes fuel prices.

Unfortunately, the U.S. auto industry has been losing ground to competitors around the world; the EV transition is a crucial opportunity to ensure secure supply chains for U.S. corporations and the military. Federal policies, such as the CHIPS Act and EV manufacturing tax incentives, are unleashing a wave of EV supply chain investments in critical minerals production and processing, battery manufacturing, battery recycling, and automobile manufacturing. The U.S. is sprinting to catch up with other countries, creating domestic job opportunities that veterans are well-suited to fill.

Florida has significant EV ownership, with over 250,000 EVs on the road and over 9,000 public charging ports, yet we are lacking fast charging in rural areas. The federal government is providing funding to states to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure, including $198 million to the Florida Department of Transportation to support the development of EV charging stations along designated corridors.

In the three years since the money was given to FDOT, Florida has not spent any of it. I urge Florida lawmakers to break ground and start building EV chargers. This is not just about convenience for EV owners; access to reliable charging is a safety issue during hurricane evacuations.

Florida can play a key role in advancing electric transportation. For example, the number of electric school buses in Florida is growing, thanks to grant and rebate programs. The Clean School Bus Rebate Program awarded $30.4 million to six Florida school districts to purchase 98 electric buses. As of December 2024, Florida has 166 electric school buses on the road, with 229 more awarded and 72 on order. Diesel school buses average 6 to 8 miles per gallon, so going electric will result in big fuel savings for local school districts, letting more of our local tax dollars go to education spending.

On a national level, President Donald Trump has nominated my former congressman and U.S. Army colonel Michael Waltz to serve as national security adviser. So, from one veteran to another, I ask Waltz to carefully examine the benefits of transitioning to EVs. Joining forces to develop EV infrastructure technologies will benefit both the military and the commercial market. It will also ensure the critical fossil fuels necessary to keep our military running in a crisis will be available without competition from the private sector.

As the new administration begins its work, I hope advances in EV production and deployment are not seen as a red or blue issue but as a red, white and blue issue that everyone can support.

If you’re a veteran who is interested in a nonpartisan approach to EV policy, please consider adding your name to the Veterans for EVs sign-on letter directed to the new leadership in Washington: Support EV jobs, American manufacturing competitiveness, and defend our national security!

So, from the beaches of Volusia County, Florida, to the beaches of Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, it is time to drive electric.

— James Brock retired from the Air Force and lives in DeBary. You can find him driving a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Something I left out of this op-ed…before you think DRILLING for more oil here will solve our problem, you should know that upwards of 80 percent of the “sweet crude” we drill is exported because most of our refineries cannot use that type of oil. So we are left IMPORTING the majority of oil you use to fuel your internal combustion engine cars. “Drill, baby, drill,” might sound good at a political rally, but it isn’t founded in reality. The fact of the matter is, if you drive a gas or diesel powered vehicle, you are dependent on Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and half a dozen other OPEC countries to keep your car running. So drilling MORE oil will still not solve these problems.

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