WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) recently joined U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to introduce the Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act, legislation to prohibit federal funds from being used to buy solar panels manufactured or assembled in Communist China, specifically the Xinjiang province, which is known for its use of forced labor.

“The Xinjiang province of China is a major producer of the world’s solar grade polysilicon. Given the Chinese Communist Party’s egregious human rights violations and forced labor of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang province, it is imperative that we investigate the global supply chain for solar panels. As the demand for clean energy initiatives is growing, the federal government cannot support entities that benefit from these atrocities, especially while many have lost their jobs domestically as a result of these new energy initiatives,” Senator Capito said.

The Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act:

  • Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop standards and guidelines to prohibit federal funds from being used to purchase solar panels manufactured or assembled by entities with ties to the Communist Party of China.
  • Requires the Comptroller of the United States to submit to Congress a report on the amount of solar panels procured by federal departments and agencies from covered entities.
  • Requires the OMB Director to conduct an independent study of the domestic market of solar panel production and the global supply chain and workforce involved in solar panel production.

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