Letter to Energy Secretary from U.S. Senator Christopher Bond

November 12, 2009

The Honorable Dr. Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585

Dear Secretary Chu,

There is bipartisan concern that the Obama administration is using U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund green jobs in China and other foreign countries. As U.S. unemployment tops 10% during this time of economic distress for America’s families and workers, we must ensure that our government is not using American taxpayer dollars to create more green jobs in China than in the U.S.

My colleague Senator Charles Schumer recently wrote to you expressing concern over the Department of Energy’s (DOE) use of stimulus dollars on wind projects that will benefit primarily Chinese workers because the wind turbines are constructed in China. He noted recent news reports that a Texas wind project under consideration by DOE would create up to 3,000 green jobs in China. I applaud Senator Schumer’s leadership in this area and want to assure you that his concerns are shared by me, both as a Senator from a Midwestern manufacturing State and as Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy.

Senator Schumer cited a report by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University that found that the Obama administration has awarded 84 percent of its $1 billion in clean energy grants to foreign wind power companies. That is an important issue, but of deeper concern to me is what number of jobs in foreign countries are funded by DOE clean energy grants. A good-paying job located in the United States is still a good job, even if it is supplied by one of our foreign friends. However, subsidizing thousands of foreign green jobs is a bad use of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

Therefore, please undertake a review of all renewable energy projects pending or approved by this administration to determine both the number of U.S. workers and workers in foreign countries they will utilize and supply that information to the Senate Green Jobs and the New Economy Subcommittee. To the extent that your review for Senator Schumer provides information on the use of stimulus funds in this regard, there is no need to duplicate those efforts. However, as a member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I am concerned about the use of annual appropriated funds in this regard and ask that you ensure that your review reflects all funds appropriated by Congress. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Christopher S. Bond

cc: The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
The Honorable Bernard Sanders