Sen. Brown: Chinese trade practices could undermine stimulus
By Ben Geman - 09/19/10 12:03 PM ET ________________________
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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is warning that Chinese trade practices in growing markets for renewable energy components could undermine the goals of U.S. energy spending in the big 2009 stimulus law.
“They absolutely can,” Brown said in an interview broadcast Sunday. The 2009 stimulus law steered tens of billions of dollars into various energy efficiency and “clean energy” programs to help boost U.S. development.
“As much as we have done, what we have done is operate within the confines of World Trade Organization rules,” he said on Platts Energy Week. “The Chinese haven’t. They haven’t because of currency [manipulation], they haven’t because of other direct subsidies in clean energy.”
Stimulus programs range from tax credits for manufacturing solar panels and other materials to grants for renewable power projects to research into carbon storage.
Brown is among several senators backing the United Steelworkers’ push for the U.S. to bring a WTO case against China over its energy trade practices.
The union filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative this month alleging China is violating WTO rules with hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and preferential treatment for domestic companies. The practices are freezing foreign companies out of China’s growing clean energy market, the union claims.
The petition also alleges that China is using quotas and other restrictions to block export of raw materials vital to production of solar panels, wind turbines and advanced batteries.
Brown said he did not know if the Obama administration would act on the Steelworkers’ complaint.
He added, however, that the White House has taken a tougher stance with China on trade than previous administrations, citing the September 2009 decision to impose tariffs on Chinese tires and other actions.
But the Steelworkers complaint comes at a time when the U.S. is seeking to increase its work with China on clean energy. The countries have several formal cooperative agreements on areas such as low-emissions coal, electric vehicles, and renewable power.
China in recent years has overtaken the U.S. as the largest greenhouse gas emitter and ensuring that China’s economic growth and development doesn’t lead to runaway emissions increases is a major concern for both countries.
Brown was asked on the Platts program whether the Obama administration’s support for low-emissions energy development in China would come at the expense of U.S. jobs. “It depends,” Brown said. “If the administration continues to aggressively, and maybe more aggressively, step up on enforcing these trade rules, I think there is not as much concern about China beating us.”
Brown is among the lawmakers who has expressed concern that stimulus grants for renewable power generation projects in the U.S. are helping foreign manufacturers of wind turbines and other equipment.
Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/119629-sen-brown-chinese-trade-practices-could-undermine-us-energy-stimulus-________________________
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Unreal. These disgusting traitors in Govt aknew this before they passed the damn bill and went forward anyway and now complain?
Do any of you ignorant, inept, incompetent, and idiotic fools who supported the Stim Bill still wonder why it has failed?
Geez some of you are stuck on stupid.
