WASHINGTON — The idea of Chinese turbines being powered by west Texas winds is sparking a debate over whether “Buy American” rules should be imposed on renewable-energy investments backed by the federal government.
A-Power Energy Generation Systems, based in Shenyang, China, will supply turbines to a joint venture planning to build a $1.5 billion wind farm in Texas. The group, which includes two U.S. partners, says it may seek financial aid from the Obama administration because the project will create at least 1,000 American jobs.
Lawmakers led by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., say such assistance amounts to subsidizing green jobs outside the country. They want to slap made-in-America requirements on renewable-energy initiatives aided by the U.S., like those already faced by highway and water-treatment projects helped by President Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic-stimulus plan.
Producers of renewable-energy equipment, led by General Electric, the biggest U.S. maker of wind turbines, say such restrictions would hurt their ability to compete in a global clean-energy market that relies on parts from many countries. Buy-American provisions may cause other nations to retaliate by curbing their use of U.S. products, shrinking domestic job creation tied to exports, GE says.
