Brown wrong about stopping wind grants

6:48 PM Saturday, March 20, 2010

Last month an operation called the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University in Washington complained that “Money from the 2009 stimulus bill to help support the renewable energy industry continues to flow overseas.” Almost $2 billion.

This prompted several Democratic senators, including Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, to call for a fix in the law “so that funds only flow to projects that will create jobs in the United States,” as opposed, most specifically, to China.

The senators called upon the Obama administration to suspend the energy-grant program until the change can be made.

Sen. Brown’s involvement is consistent with his view that Washington is a pushover in trade relations with other countries and that it needs to be more aggressive about protecting American jobs.

His critics say — correctly — that Sen. Brown’s general posture invites foreign countries to discriminate against American companies, thus undermining the jobs of Americans involved in exporting, one of the few bright spots in the Ohio economy.

Of course, even Sen. Brown’s critics must acknowledge that, when taxpayer dollars are involved, that’s a special situation, especially when the money is supposed to create American jobs.

However, the Obama administration rejects the findings of the report that prompted the Brown proposal. Officials say that the bulk of the jobs being created are in the United States, no matter where the companies are owned.

They also say that Americans who want to develop wind energy (which is involved in most of the deals in dispute) sometimes have no choice but to deal with foreign companies, because they are the ones with certain abilities.

And it would be a shame to shut down or delay American green energy projects that can provide jobs now.

Also rejecting the Brown proposal is Gov. Ted Strickland, who, when he was in Congress, had the same protectionist-tinged concerns as Sen. Brown.

Gov. Strickland doesn’t want to jeopardize the hundreds of Ohio jobs that foreign companies can help Ohio develop through the creation of wind farms.

The Brown side responds, in part, that the American jobs that have been created have been temporary.

The charges and counter-charges don’t shed much light. The argument has been conducted largely through press releases, press conferences and blogs. (On the Web, investigativereportingworkshop.org has the initial report and a link to a response from the American wind industry.)

The initial report deserves attention. But the Obama administration could not possibly justify suspending the program on the basis of it alone. The Energy Department says suspending the program could cost thousands of American jobs.

If the senators want to submit legislation and hold hearings on it, fine. Being in the majority party, they can do that. Let the debate be complete.

The Brown side says that other countries have rules favoring their own companies. It also says this country has such a rule where government money is involved, though the rule doesn’t happen to apply to the wind program.

The Brown side also insists that, under the rule, if a foreign company is the only good option in a specific case, the government could allow a waiver. But some businesses say that would make the process slow and bureaucratic.

If, indeed, there are ways to undertake the most advanced, desirable wind projects while keeping more jobs in this county, Congress has a right to ask why taxpayer money isn’t fostering that.

In the end, however, the benefit of any doubt should go to those who want to minimize the barriers between countries. If American contractors need to work with foreign companies to quickly get what the country needs, government regulations shouldn’t interfere.

— Cox News Service

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